Waiting for Superman
by themistrollsin
Summary: Roman has fallen for Bayley, but she's still involved with her ex and doesn't think she deserves anything more. Will Roman be able to prove to her that she does? (Semi sequel to The Changes We Make - Ambrose/Emma)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Here it is! This is the "side" story to "The Changes We Make" featuring Bayley and Roman. Please let me know what you all think of it. I love reading what you have to say.

* * *

**Chapter One**

Roman has never let himself fall for someone who isn't available. It's something he's never wanted to have to deal with. He know what the pain looks like. He's seen it within his family, so why would he want to put himself through that pain? Too bad it didn't last. Not when someone like Bayley Martinez comes around. He knew it had been bad when he had that crazy butterfly feeling before he'd even officially met her. Little did he know at that time, she was in a relationship. The worst part about it is the fact that her boyfriend… or he supposes currently ex-boyfriend… is a complete jackass who doesn't deserve her. Adrian Neville, Roman can't even think about the name without scowling, is lucky that Roman's never seen what he does to Bayley.

Roman can't believe that Bayley is actually letting Adrian into her life again. She says they're simply talking, but every time Roman sees them they're awfully close for just talking. He wishes that she could see what Adrian is doing to her. He wishes he could make her see that he's the right man for her. But is he?

As he's rounding the corner to head to his locker room, he hears that giggle. It's one that he's heard numerous times over the last several months. He looks down the hall to find Bayley leaning against the wall outside of a locker room with Adrian standing in front of her. Roman barely manages to hold his growl back.

_Please let that be the Diva's locker room and not ours._ As he gets closer, he can't help but sigh. Of course he couldn't get lucky enough to not have to be right by the scene before him. He approaches the door and pushes it open. Bayley beams at him.

"Hey, Roman," she says.

Roman looks at her and nods. "Hi," he responds. It probably sounded colder than he meant for it to sound, but he can't bring himself to be happy right now. He glances at Adrian before walking into the locker room where he finds Emma sitting on Dean's lap as they kiss. "All right, knock it off." He sets his things down and takes a seat.

Dean looks over at him. "What's with you?" he asks.

Roman sighs and shakes his head. "Nothing." He's barely finished his answer when Bayley's giggling again. He frowns as he looks down at his hands, picking at some loose skin. God, he needed to get over Bayley. Maybe he should just find some girl to fuck tonight. He could definitely use that release; his hand could only do so much. He looks up quickly when he sees the door opening. Instead of Bayley walking in, however, he sees Emma walking out. He looks over at Dean who's watching him carefully. "What?"

"You really have to ask me that?" Dean gestures to the door. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I'm just an idiot that needs to move on."

"Ro…"

"Dean, just drop it. It's obvious that she wants him."

"No, she thinks she wants him. Look, you know me. You know I don't usually say anything about this shit. But listen to me. She thinks that's all she deserves. She needs to be proven she's worth more. You need to do that. And you better do something before they do make it official again."

"She doesn't want me."

"Fuck that, Roman. She doesn't know what she wants. You need to make her see what she can have." Dean stands up. "Don't wait too long. You know you'll regret it if you do."

"What am I supposed to do? Huh? I can't just go up to her and tell her that she deserves better."

"Yes, you can. Talk to Emma. She can help you out." He walks to the door. "I'll send her back."

Roman sighs as he watches Dean walk out. He rubs the back of his neck, hating that he's having to deal with any of this. He looks over when the door opens once again. Emma's smile is the first thing he sees.

"Hey," Emma says as she sits down beside him.

"Hey." He looks at her. "Your boyfriend is a jackass."

"I am aware." She nudges Roman. "Bayley needs to see that you care about her."

"But Adrian…"

"They aren't together. As of right now, they're still just talking."

"Didn't look like that to me when I was out there."

"He's slowly getting back in. But you can stop it, Roman. She likes you. She just doesn't think she deserves anything more than what she has. Prove to her that she's worth it."

"How? What am I supposed to do?"

"You know those little things that Dean does for me? That's what you need to do. It's simple things, Roman. Hold the door open for her. Pull her chair out. When you're sitting beside her, put your arm on the back of her chair. After a while, start resting your hand on her shoulder as you do so. Make her smile. Make her laugh. Make her feel something she's never felt before." Emma nudges him again. "She loves daisies." She stands up after that. "I'm heading down to catering."

Roman watches her walk to the door. "Emma, wait." He's not surprised by the smile she has on her face when she turns back around. "Is she really not with Adrian?"

"She's not. You better do something soon though. I can see her starting to give in to him. I'll see you later."

"Wait."

"Roman, she likes you. Make her see that you like her too."

He sighs as he watches her walk out of the room. Okay, so maybe he does still have a shot. He stands up and walks out to head down to catering, thankful that Bayley and Adrian are no longer right outside the door. He'd likely punch Adrian if they were.

Something needs to change. And he needs to be the one to change it. He needs to make her see that she belongs with someone other than Adrian; even if it isn't him. He grabs a bottle of water from the case before heading over to where the others are sitting. He sits down in the empty seat beside Bayley.

"It's about time you show up," Dean says with a smirk.

Roman shrugs. "I'm here. Not like I missed anything I'm sure." He looks over at Adrian. "You actually have a match on the show or just darks again?"

"Dark before the show." Adrian watches Roman closely.

"Who are you in with?" Bayley asks.

"Ryder. What about you, Roman?"

Roman looks over again. "Finally getting my hands on that little shit." He points over to Seth. "At least for a bit."

Seth grins as he shrugs. "Remember, I always come out on top."

"You'll get yours, jackass." Roman chuckles. He shifts and rests his arm on the back of Bayley's chair, glancing over at Emma who smiles at him. At least he knows he's doing something right. What he wouldn't give to have Bayley lean close to him.

"Come on, Bayley," Adrian says.

Bayley frowns. "What?" she asks.

"I wanna spend some time with you before the show starts."

"We're hanging out."

"I didn't ask you, Bayley."

Roman frowns. "Hey, man…"

"You stay out of this."

"Adrian," Bayley says softly. "Stop it. I just want to hang out." She flinches when he grabs her arm.

"I said let's go."

Roman stares at Adrian. "Neville, back off."

Bayley shakes her head. "No, Roman, it's okay." She pushes her chair back, causing Roman to move his arm. "Come on, Adrian."

Roman scowls when they walk away. He runs a hand through his hair. "He better not touch her."

* * *

Bayley flinches when Adrian pushes her down a dark hall. She rubs her arm as she looks at the other man. "Adrian…"

"Do not ever let him near you like that again," Adrian interrupts. "You are my girl. Not his."

She frowns at him. "What are you talking about?" She gasps when he pushes her hard against the wall and puts his hand on her neck. "Adrian, stop it."

"I am talking about Roman. You belong to me, Bayley. You stay away from him."

"Roman and I are just friends."

"No, you don't get to be friends with other guys. Do you hear me?" He tightens his grip on her throat. "Do you hear me!?"

She nods. "Yes." She coughs when Adrian finally releases his hold.

Adrian shakes his head. "I have to go find Ryder." He walks away without another word.

Bayley slides down to the floor and wipes the tears from her eyes. She had thought Adrian had changed. He seemed so different when they started talking again. What changed? She lets her head fall back against the wall. How could she let herself do this again? Maybe it really is all she deserves.

If she could have opened herself up to Roman, maybe she wouldn't be here. No, that would have never worked. Roman doesn't want her. She's not good enough for someone like him; he deserves so much more than her. He could easily get any woman and Bayley isn't even near the list that he would have. Why should she be? She's nothing special. Adrian has made that clear. She's surprised she has anyone. It wouldn't be a shock if she ended up completely alone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Bayley watches Roman walk into catering. She wants to jump up and go greet the man but knows she can't with Adrian sitting beside her. She slouches down in her seat. At least she knows that Adrian will be heading back to Florida after tonight. She chews on her bottom lip as she continues to watch Roman. After another moment, she lets out a soft breath. She's not going to let Adrian stop her from talking to Roman.

"Where you going?" Adrian asks after she stands up.

She looks at him. "To say hi to Roman," she answers before walking away. She walks over to where Roman is standing at the food table. "Hey."

Roman looks at her and smiles. "Hey," he says. He glances over to where Adrian is watching them. "Surprised he let you away."

Bayley shrugs. "I didn't give him the choice." She chews on her lip. "He doesn't want me to be friends with you."

He lets out a soft breath. "Bayley…"

"But I can't let you go either." She smiles sadly. "I think it's just going to be different."

"Bayley…" He growls when Adrian approaches. "What do you want?"

"You away from my girl," Adrian answers.

Bayley frowns as she looks down. She doesn't want to be knows as that. Adrian makes it sound like he owns her.

"Last I checked, she came over to me. She's a big girl, Adrian. She can make her own decisions."

"Obviously she needs a little help with that." He grabs Bayley's arm. "Let's go." He pulls her away from Roman and out of the room. "Don't you ever do that again."

"Do what?" Bayley asks. She hisses when his grip around her arm tightens. "You're hurting me."

"Good. Maybe you'll learn that I'm in charge. Do you understand?" He pushes her down an empty hallway. "Answer me."

Bayley cries out when he shoves her into the wall. "Adrian…"

"You're getting what you deserve." He shoves her back once again. "I keep telling you not to talk to them but you continue to do so! What do you think is gonna happen?" He grabs her by the neck. "You will not speak to him again, do you understand me?"

"Please stop."

"Answer me." He tightens his grip on her neck. "If I ever catch you talking to him again…" Before he can continue, he's being pulled off of her.

Bayley slides to the floor as she watches Roman slam Adrian against the other wall. She covers her mouth as she sobs.

"You'll what?" Roman asks. "Huh, tough guy? What are you gonna do if she talks to me again? I would love to hear what you have to say." He pulls Adrian off the wall and slams him back again. "I'm gonna tell you what's going to happen, so you better listen very carefully. You are going to walk away. You are _not_ going to lay a hand on her again. If I find you so much as looking at her, I will kill you. Just try me, Neville. Don't forget the family I come from. You will never be found. Bayley is a woman, not a possession."

"She's…"

"She's not a possession. I pray to God the next woman you find will get the respect they deserve. You will not touch Bayley again. I will be sure of that." He pulls him off the wall and shoves him away. "Now get out of here."

"She'll be back. She always comes back to me."

Roman waits until Adrian finally walks away before turning and squatting down in front of Bayley. He rests his hands on her knees. "You okay?"

Bayley wipes her eyes as she nods. "You shouldn't have done that, Roman," she says softly. "He's just going to do worse now."

"He won't." Roman wipes the tears from her cheeks. "I won't let him near you. He'll be heading back to Florida after tonight's show. So you won't have to worry about him right now. You need to end it, Bayley. What happened the last time? You said you were done."

"I know. But I thought he'd changed." She meets his gaze. "I thought he was different."

"Oh Bayley…"

"I asked for it though. I should have listened to him."

"No, you will not blame yourself." He watches her closely. "You did nothing wrong. Come on." He stands up and pulls her up carefully.

* * *

It hadn't surprised Roman when Emma and Paige insisted that Bayley room with them so they could have their girl night. It's something that Bayley had definitely needed. Over the last two weeks, he had noticed the slight change in her. He could, however, still see the doubt in herself that she has. He wishes he could get through to her that she deserves more than Adrian. He knows that she'll figure it out eventually; too bad it couldn't be now. He has to wonder if he even has a shot with her when she does realize the truth.

Roman looks beside him as he walks down the hall toward his dressing room. He smiles when his daughter looks up at him and beams. "You ready for this?" he asks. It had been a while since Liliana had been on the road with him and he's looking forward to the time he is getting with her.

"Yes," Liliana answers with a wide smile.

Roman opens the door to his locker room and lets Liliana go in ahead of him. He watches as she immediately runs over to Dean who lifts her up with ease. Liliana giggles when Dean places repeated kisses over her cheeks and forehead. Roman moves his bag to the side before sitting down.

"Surprised to find you here," Roman says after Dean finally looks over at him.

Dean raises an eyebrow. "Where else would I be?" he asks.

"In a dark room with the girlfriend."

Dean snorts. "Yeah, that would be a great thing if she would let me. She's barely left Bayley's side. Not that I blame her. Bayley needs her right now." He watches Roman. "Have you talked to Bayley?"

"Not outside of the arenas." Roman shrugs. "She needs her space. And I know she's with Emma and Paige. It's what she needs right now."

Dean nods. "She's doing okay."

"I just don't want her to be talking to him again. And I know I have no right wanting that. It's not like she's my girlfriend or anything."

"You do have a right to want that, Ro. She's your friend. You like her. You've seen what he's done to her."

Roman nods. "She doesn't deserve that. Why can't she see that?"

"She doesn't want to yet. Show her." Dean smiles at Liliana. "I'm stealing this gorgeous little girl and heading down to catering."

"Yeah, okay." Roman sighs. "I think I'm going to find Bayley. I'll see you down there at some point."

"Okay."

Roman watches Dean walk out still holding Liliana. He can't help but smile a little. The other man has been unbelievable when it comes to Liliana. He stands up and heads out of the room. When he reaches the Diva's locker room, he knocks softly. He hopes she's in here or at least that they'll know where she is if she isn't. He looks up when the door finally opens, frowning when he sees Eva standing there.

"Well, hello there," Eva says.

"Hi," Roman says. "Bayley around?"

Eva smiles. "What do you want with her? I'm sure whatever you need I can help."

He raises an eyebrow. "I'm looking for Bayley. Is she in there or not?"

The redhead shrugs. "Haven't seen her. What do you even care anyways?"

"Eva, back off," Natalya says stepping over. "Last I know, Bayley went down to wardrobe."

Roman nods. "Thanks, Nattie." He walks away, heading in the direction Nattie had pointed. He turns the corner, immediately spotting Bayley talking with Jessica. He walks over and stops nearby.

Bayley looks over and smiles at him. She gestures to hang on a moment before continuing her conversation with Jessica. Roman nods as he leans against the wall. After another minute, Bayley walks over.

"Hey," she says with a smile.

"Hey back," he responds. "Just wanted to see how you're doing? Haven't talked to you since the show on Friday."

Bayley nods. "Sorry about that. I just…" She shrugs. "Paige and Emma have been keeping me pretty busy."

He grins. "I've noticed. It's good though. You needed it."

"I just hate that I haven't gotten to talk to you as much though."

He nods. "Everything okay with you?"

"Yeah, things are okay." She watches him closely. "He's called and texted. I haven't answered anything of them."

"Good. You shouldn't." He licks his lips. "You don't deserve that, Bayley."

She shrugs. "Maybe I do. I should go find Emma. We need to talk about the match tonight." She waves before walking away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Bayley follows Emma into the restaurant and lets out a soft breath. She can't believe she let her best friend talk her into coming out. Then again Emma hadn't really given her much of a choice. Besides, she needs to eat. She chews on her bottom lip when she sees the familiar stance at the podium. "You didn't tell me he was going to be here," she whispers.

Emma shrugs. "Figured you'd know he would be. I told you we were meeting Dean."

Bayley frowns. She should have realized that meant Roman would be here too. "Emma, maybe…"

"Hey," Dean says when he sees them which causes Roman to turn around.

Bayley's frown deepens; now she can't make a getaway. She watches as Dean walks over to Emma, but then turns her attention back to Roman. It's as she steps over that she realizes he isn't standing alone. Standing in front of him is a young girl who looks a lot like him. "Hey," Bayley says.

Roman gives her a small smile. "Hey," he responds. He rests his hands on Liliana's shoulders. "This is my daughter, Liliana. Munchkin, this is Bayley Martinez."

Liliana looks up at Bayley. "You wear the headbands with the bows," she says.

Bayley smiles at her. "That would be me. Do you want one? I can get you one after we eat. If your Daddy is okay with it."

Liliana looks at Roman. "Daddy, can I?"

Roman nods. "I don't have a problem with it." He grins. "No go tell Dean to hurry up."

Bayley smiles as she watches Liliana run over to Dean. "She's cute." She looks at Roman. "How old is she?"

"Six. She definitely keeps me on my toes."

"And I'm sure Dean doesn't help." She gestures toward where Dean has Liliana lifted over his head.

"Of course not." He grins. "We're just waiting for a table."

"Okay." She watches Roman. "Are you okay?"

Roman frowns. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

She shrugs. "I don't know. You've just been acting weird lately. And I can't help but think I'm somehow responsible for it. I mean…" She shrugs again. "I know you aren't happy about Adrian being around."

"Can we not talk about him?"

"I just…"

"Now is not the time to talk about him, Bayley."

"I just want to know that you and I are okay."

Before Roman can respond, Dean, Emma, and Liliana are joining them. Bayley frowns as she looks down at her feet. Maybe she should just make up some excuse so she can leave. It's not like she'll be missed here anyways.

"All right, we have your table ready," the host says. "If you'll follow me."

Bayley sits down, surprised when Liliana sits down beside her. She'd figured Emma and Dean would join her on this side of the table. Glancing over, she watches Roman sit down on the other side of Liliana. He immediately rests his arm along the back of Liliana's chair and leans closer to talk with her. Bayley can't help but continue to watch them.

It's nearly an hour later when they're walking outside. Bayley wrinkles her nose at the sight of the rain falling. It's not that doesn't like the rain, she just doesn't like driving in the rain.

"I'm not driving," Bayley says.

"Me neither," Emma responds. "I hate the rain."

Roman laughs softly as he looks over at them. "Then Dean will drive."

"What about you?" Emma asks.

"I'll drive our car. Liliana has the backseat full of her toys, so it'll just be easier that way."

"I'll go with you," Bayley says. Did she really just say that?

Roman nods. "Okay. We can switch bags that way if you end up needing anything."

"Yeah, okay."

They hurry to get the bags switched before climbing into their respective cars. Roman turns in his seat to look at Liliana. "Need help with your belt?" he asks.

"No," Liliana answers.

Bayley opens her purse and pulls out a green bowed headband. "Here you go, Liliana." She hands it to the young girl who beams.

"Thank you!" She puts it on immediately. "I love it."

Roman grins as he starts the car. "Looks good, Munchkin."

"So how long is the drive?" Bayley asks once Roman pulls out of the parking lot.

"Eight hours normally. It'll depend on the weather tonight."

Bayley isn't sure when she'd fallen asleep, but when she wakes up they're in complete darkness and the rain is coming down at a heavy rate. She wipes her eyes as she shifts in her seat. "Sorry," she says. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

Roman grins. "No problem. You haven't missed anything. Though I think I may have seen a cow fly by."

Bayley laughs a little at that. "You're insane." She glances at the clock. "Think we can find somewhere to stop?"

"Yeah." He glances over. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just have to go to the bathroom. And I could use something to drink."

"So could I, actually."

Roman pulls off the highway a short time later and into the gas station. He turns in his seat to look back at Liliana. "Liliana," he says softly as he reaches back and touches her leg softly. "Munchkin."

"Hmm?" Liliana wipes her eyes and looks around.

"We're stopping off to go to the bathroom. You need to try and go."

"Okay. Daddy, will you carry me in?"

"Of course. It was the plan. Still raining out." He looks at Bayley. "Ready?"

"Ready."

Bayley waits inside the door for Roman and Liliana. She smiles when Roman walks in with Liliana hiding her face in his neck. "I think it got harder the second we stepped outside."

Roman laughs softly. "Yeah, I think so." They walk through the gas station and over to the bathroom.

"Want me to take Liliana?"

"Yes!" Liliana beams at that. "Daddy, I wanna go with Bayley."

Roman nods as he sets Liliana don't. "Okay."

Bayley gestures behind them. "We'll meet you out there."

Roman walks over to the coolers to grab himself something to drink, smiling when he sees Bayley and Liliana standing and looking at the drinks. It doesn't take a lot to know that this is a sight he wants to continue to see. Of course he shouldn't be thinking that. He walks over as Liliana pulls the cooler door open.

Bayley smiles at Roman. "Hey," she says. "She asked for juice. I told her to pick something out and we'll talk to you."

He nods. "Juice is fine." He looks to see which Liliana had chosen, not too surprised when he sees the kiwi strawberry in her hand. "Good choice, Munchkin."

It doesn't take long for them to return to the road. Bayley shivers slightly from the cold rain as she settles into her seat. Roman turns the heat up before pulling out of the parking space.

"Can I go to sleep again?" Liliana asks.

"Of course," Roman answers.

Bayley looks over at Roman a short while later. "Staying awake over there?" she asks.

Roman nods. "Yeah," he answers. "Not the first time I've driven all night like this."

"If it wasn't raining, I'd offer to drive."

"Don't worry about it." Roman grins. "Probably wouldn't have let you anyways." He glances over at her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." She watches him carefully, unsure of where he's going to go with the question.

"You keep saying that maybe he's all you deserve. Why?"

She frowns as she looks down at her hands. She should have known this conversation would happen at some point. "Who else would want me?" She looks at Roman again. "He loves me."

"Bayley…"

"He does. I know…"

"No, he doesn't love you. If he did, he wouldn't lay his hands on you the way he does. If he did, he wouldn't talk to you the way he does." Roman sighs. "No man should ever treat a woman the way Adrian treats you."

"He's a good…"

"No, he's not." He shakes his head. "I don't know how you can't see that, Bayley. You deserve better."

"I don't though."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm nothing special. Look at me, Roman."

"I have." He lets out a soft breath. "He treats you like shit and you don't even see it."

"Why does it bother you so much?"

"Because…" He growls. "Because we're friends, Bayley. I see the hurt in your eyes. And as a man seeing another man treating a woman like that? It pisses me off. It kills me that you can't see what he's doing to you."

"Roman…"

"It's just going to get worse. You may think he's changed. But in the end it'll always be the same. Do you love him? Or do you just love the idea?"

"Idea?" She frowns.

"Of having someone to care for you?"

"I don't need…"

"To love you."

"Oh." She looks down at hands once again. It's a question Emma's asked her before and her answer was always she loved Adrian. But now? She's not so sure. She wants to believe that Adrian has changed and will truly love her. Deep down she knows it's never going to happen. But what man would want to love her? "No man could ever love me."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Roman pulls Emma to the side once they all meet up at the next hotel. He's not surprised by the look she gives him. It's not like he gave her a warning that he was pulling her away. "What happened before Adrian?" he asks softly.

Emma frowns at him. "What are you talking about?"

"She said something that I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to hear. According to her, no man could ever love her. There's more to her life than Adrian."

Emma sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "Roman…"

"Don't tell me nothing, Emma. I know there's something. What the hell is going on?"

"I can't be the one to tell you. You need to talk to Bayley. Make her talk." She smiles sadly at Roman. "She will open up to you if you just let her. Don't get like this though. You're going to scare her away if you get like this. And then you know what you need to do?"

"What?"

"Show her how a real man treats a woman." She stands on her tippy toes to whisper into his ear. "How a real man kisses a woman."

Roman clears his throat and takes a step back. "I um…"

"Dean and I can have Liliana over at our room tonight."

"I don't want Bayley thinking that I just want to get her into bed. I can't just kiss her out of nowhere, Emma. I just…"

"She won't think that and yes you can. She trusts you. Now we need to go back before Dean gets jealous."

Roman follows her back over to where the others are standing. He can see the frown on Bayley's face and it nearly breaks him. He hates seeing that look from her. He steps over. "You okay?"

"What were you talking to Emma about? Trying to get her to be her roommate again? If you don't want to room with me anymore…"

"Hey, stop right there." Roman rubs Bayley's arm. "I just needed to ask her something. If I didn't want to room with you anymore, I would have talked to you about it. But that's not the case at all. I like rooming with you. If for no other reason than you don't snore like that idiot over there."

Bayley smiles a little. "Do I snore at all?"

Roman grins. "I plead the fifth." He laughs when she smacks his stomach. He looks over at Dean as he approaches.

"We're heading up to take a nap," Dean says.

"Nap, huh?" Roman smirks. "Lucky bastard."

Dean smiles. "Yeah, whatever. We'll catch you later."

Roman looks down at Liliana. "All right, we're next. I'll go get us checked in."

Liliana nods. "Can I sleep?"

"Of course."

Bayley grins. "Liliana, why don't we go grab the bags?"

"Okay."

Roman smiles at them as he hands Bayley the keys. "Won't argue with you, so go ahead. You can leave the gear bags in there though. No sense pulling those in just to take them out in a few hours."

Bayley nods. "Okay."

When Bayley and Liliana walk into the lobby again, Roman is standing to the side waiting for them. He smiles as he approaches. Bayley lets him take control of his own bag before they head toward the elevator.

* * *

Bayley loves the way Liliana continues to watch her every move as she gets ready for her match. She smiles at the young girl. "Do you watch your Daddy like this too?" Bayley asks.

Liliana shrugs. "Sometimes," she answers. "You don't look as scary as he does when he's getting ready though."

Bayley giggles at that. "Yeah, I bet he does look pretty scary sometimes, huh?"

"I guess."

The way Liliana looks down at that concerns Bayley. "Does he ever scare you?"

"Not back here." Liliana looks up at Bayley. "In the ring he does sometimes."

"You mean when he was with the Shield and beating everyone up?"

She nods. "That's part. He was scary. He always had this weird look." She looks down again. "I don't like seeing that look."

"Have you told him this?"

"No."

"Liliana…" Bayley kneels down in front of the young girl. "Why haven't you told him?"

"I don't want him to think I'm a baby."

"Oh sweetie, I don't think he could ever think that." Bayley watches Liliana closely. "There's more. You can talk to me, Liliana."

"I get scared when he gets hurt."

"There's nothing wrong with that. He's your Daddy." Bayley wipes the tears from Liliana's cheeks. "We can talk to him. Tell him about your fears."

"I can't. I don't want him to be mad at me."

"He won't be mad at you." She looks over when there's a knock on the door. "Want me to talk to him?"

Liliana nods. "Yes."

"Okay. Come in." Bayley watches Roman step into the room, not surprised when he frowns at them.

"What's going on?" He walks over when he sees Liliana's tears. "Munchkin, what's wrong?"

Bayley smiles sadly as Liliana simply buries her face in Roman's neck. "Liliana and I got to talking about you."

"Okay?" Roman rubs Liliana's back. "What about?"

"She said that you get this look on your face when you're in the ring and it scares her."

Roman frowns. "Liliana, is that true?" He sighs a little when he feels her nodding. "Sweetie, why didn't you ever say anything?" He shifts her and makes her look at him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Liliana pouts at him. "I didn't want you to be mad at me," she says softly.

"Mad at you? Liliana, Daddy wouldn't be mad at you. How do I scare you? What look?"

"The one you get when you walk out there. You have it the entire time."

He nods. "I'm sorry it scares you, Liliana. But I promise you, there's nothing to be scared about. Daddy's just focused on what's going on out there." He kisses her. "I'm sorry, Liliana. I didn't know I was scaring you."

"Do you want to tell him the rest?" Bayley asks. "Or do you want me to do it?"

Roman throws a look at Bayley before watching Liliana once again. "The rest? Munchkin, what else?"

"I don't like when you get hurt. What if something bad happens?"

"Oh, Liliana." He holds her close. "We've talked about this before. I've told you what to do if I do get hurt out there and you're here. Remember what I told you?"

"Find Dean."

"Right. And you can always find Emma too. Or Bayley."

"But what if you're bad?"

Bayley chews on her bottom lip. She needs to get down because her match is soon, but she doesn't want to leave Roman and Liliana right now. "I um… I have to go. My match is coming up."

Roman looks at her. "Okay. Thank you, Bayley."

She nods. "No need to thank me." She leans up and kisses his cheek. "I'll see you two in a bit."

* * *

Bayley follows Roman to their room after the show that evening. She chews on her bottom lip, wondering what he has planned since Liliana had gone with Dean and Emma. She stops once they reach the door. "So Liliana seemed better when I came back from my match," she says.

Roman nods. "Yeah. We talked and I had Dean and Emma assure her that they would be right there. If I know it's going to be a rough match, I try not to have her for those."

"Which is good. She's still at that age that she may not understand everything." Bayley closes the door behind her once they get inside. "So she's staying with Emma and Dean tonight?"

"Yeah." Roman kicks out of his shoes. "She's been begging to be able to stay with them so I figured tonight's as good a night as any."

Bayley nods. "So, that leaves us." She chews on her bottom lip, not sure what to expect right now. "Roman…"

He looks over at her as he sits down on the end of his bed. "You said something to me on the drive that I haven't stopped thinking about. The more I think about it, the more confused I get about you. I just don't understand how you could think that. But then I think there's more to you than what I know. So there has to be a reason for you thinking this. And more than Adrian."

She frowns. "What did I say?"

"No man could ever love you."

She covers her mouth. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"I figured as much. But I did. And you are so wrong, Bayley."

"No…" She shakes her head as she crosses her arms.

"Why do you think that? What happened? Who has made you think that you don't deserve happiness? Who made you think you don't deserve to be treated like a woman? Let me tell you something, Bayley. You are amazing. Any man would be lucky to have a woman like you."

"All of my life I have been told that I would never be worth anything. I was told that I should settle for what I could get."

"But you can get something… someone better than Adrian."

"I can't though."

"Why not?"

"Because who would want me?"

"Who wouldn't? Bayley…"

"No. No one could ever love me."

Roman watches her carefully. "I could."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Bayley stares at Roman, unsure if he had heard him correctly. Did he really just tell her that he could love her? She frowns at the thought. Why would someone as amazing as Roman want someone like her? He could have anyone he wants, so why her? She's nothing special. When Roman stands up, she can't help but take a slight step backwards.

"I am going to kiss you," Roman says as he approaches her. "But that is all I am going to do, because you are still technically with Adrian." He rests a hand on her cheek. "I just want you to see how a real man treats a woman. How a real man kisses a woman. There's a difference between domination and control. I don't dominate. I may take control, but ultimately? You are always in control."

Bayley stares up at him. The feeling she has right now is one that she's never had before. Should she be feeling like this? She sucks in a deep breath when he leans down. Should she let this happen? What will Adrian think?

"Tell me to stop and I will," Roman says softly. He licks his lips as he watches her shake her head. He takes that as his okay and captures her mouth in a soft kiss.

She gasps at the kiss but doesn't make a move away. Instead, she rests her hands on his sides. She's never been kissed like this before. While Roman has the control, Bayley doesn't feel overpowered by it. It's not a feeling she ever has with Adrian. She pulls back after another moment and looks up at him.

"You deserve that and more, Bayley," Roman says softly. "He's never going to be that for you. I'm not saying I'm perfect, because I'm not." He runs his thumb over her lips. "You deserve more than him." He takes a step back and drops his hand.

"Why'd you say kissing me was all you were going to do?" Bayley asks softly.

"Adrian." Roman shrugs. "I'm not going to stand here and tell you to leave him for me. I'm not going to tell you to leave him period. But I'm here for you, Bayley."

* * *

Bayley sits down beside Emma. "He kissed me," she tells her best friend.

Emma looks over and raises an eyebrow. "Roman?" she asks. When Bayley nods, the blonde can't help but smile. "So he really did it, huh?"

"But… Adrian…" Bayley frowns as she looks down at her hands. "Can I ask you something? And I know it's going to sound stupid, but…"

"Ask me anything." Emma nudges her. "And it won't sound stupid."

Bayley looks at her again. "When you kiss Dean, do you get this feeling in your stomach? It's like… butterflies."

Emma smiles as she nods. "All the time. Even the quick kisses he gives me. Did you feel it when Roman kissed you?"

Bayley nods. "Yeah. Even before he kissed me. When he was standing there looking at me. And then he put his hand on my cheek." She chews on her bottom lip. "And then he kissed me and it was perfect. But it shouldn't be."

"Why not?"

"Adrian…"

"Bayley, I love you, but you really need to get over this thing with Adrian. You deserve more than him."

"Maybe I do. But…"

"But what?" Emma watches her closely. "Is Roman pressuring you?"

"No, not at all. Roman has been amazing. I just don't want people to think that I'm a horrible person."

"You aren't. You are amazing. Why would people think that?"

"If I left Adrian and immediately went to Roman…"

"Stop right there." Emma reaches over, taking her best friend's hand. "You don't have to jump into a relationship with Roman right away. Take things slow. He will be okay with that."

"I don't deserve him."

"You do."

"He's too good for me."

"He's not. He'll tell you that you're too good for him. There is nothing wrong with having feelings for him, Bayley. There's nothing wrong with wanting to kiss him again. He won't do anything else until you end things with Adrian. When that happens and you're ready, you go to Roman."

"What if he doesn't wait for me?"

"I don't think you'll leave him waiting very long." Emma smiles. "He'll wait though." Both girls look over when the door opens.

"Should I be worried about this?" Dean asks gesturing at their hands.

Emma rolls her eyes. "Grow up, Ambrose." She smiles at him before looking at Bayley. "So, where do we stand?"

"I think I need to go see Adrian this weekend," Bayley says. "Thanks for listening, Emma."

"Anytime."

Bayley stands up and smiles at Dean. "She's all yours."

Dean smirks. "Good to know. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll see you two later."

Bayley sits down across from Roman and Liliana when she makes it to catering. She smiles at the pair. "What did you get, Liliana?" she asks.

Liliana smiles. "Carrots," she answers. "I love carrots."

"Yeah? Carrots are definitely good."

Roman grins. "It's about the only vegetable she eats right now. But I won't complain. She loves her fruit." He looks at Bayley. "You were gone when I got out of the shower this morning."

Bayley nods. "I went to the gym. I needed to do some thinking and I tend to work out when I need to do some deep thinking."

"You okay?"

"I will be."

"We okay?"

Bayley smiles. "We're fine."

Roman nods. "Okay. Do I get to know what's going on in that head of yours?"

"I have some things to take care of." She chews on her bottom lip as she meets his gaze. "I don't want to go into details right now."

"Okay."

"Daddy," Liliana says. "Do you get to wrestle with Bayley out there?"

"No, not anymore, Munchkin."

"Why not?"

"Because we've moved on from that. But you never know. Something could come up again."

"I hope so." Liliana picks up her final carrot. "I liked watching you two out there together. You weren't as scary when she was out there with you."

Roman leans over and kisses the top of Liliana's head. "Do you think Daddy's really scary?"

"Not when you're back here."

"Just out there?"

Liliana nods. "Yes."

"You remember how we talked about playing pretend?"

"Like I do with my toys?"

"Exactly. Well, Daddy's pretending out there."

"You need to smile when you come back here though."

"I can definitely try to do that. You might have to remind me again though."

"I will."

Bayley smiles as she watches the two of them. "Did you have fun with Dean and Emma last night?"

"Yes!" Liliana beams. "We watched movies and ate popcorn!"

"You did? What movies did you watch?"

"Frozen and Brave."

"Those are good movies." Bayley smiles at Liliana who nods emphatically. "Do you like Disney Princesses?"

"Yes! Do you?"

"I do. I love them."

Roman grins. He loves how easily Bayley has taken to Liliana and vice versa. He wants it to be like this. He just has to wait for Bayley's approval. That's the one thing he isn't sure about. Is she willing to take a chance?

"Daddy, you should invite Bayley over to our house so we can watch Disney movies," Liliana says.

He nods. "I'm sure that can be arranged." He glances over at Bayley who nods.

"I would be up for that," she says with a smile. She meets Roman's gaze. Maybe this is what she needs.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Bayley takes a shaky breath as she approaches the front door. Why is she here? Should she even be here? Yes, she should be. She needs to be. She chews on her bottom lip as she finally reaches up and rings the doorbell. As she's waiting for an answer, she can't help but wonder if she should have called first. She jumps when the door finally opens.

"Bayley, hey," Roman says. He frowns a little.

"Hi," Bayley says softly. "I know I should have called. I'm sorry I didn't. But I can't really change that now. But if you want me to leave, I will. I'm sorry. I'll just go. I didn't mean to interrupt."

Roman laughs softly. "Bayley, come in." He steps to the side to let her in. "You just surprised me." He closes the door once she finally walks in.

"Yeah, well, I hadn't planned on coming here. It wasn't until I was pulling into the driveway that I actually realized I was. I was like in a daze or something."

"You drove here? From Orlando?"

"Yes." She shrugs. "I'm sorry for just showing up like this. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"No. I was just getting ready to make dinner. Come on, you should probably eat."

She nods. "Yeah. I haven't eaten since this morning."

Roman looks at Bayley from his position at the stove. "So what brings you here? You didn't drive seven hours just for a visit." He watches as she looks down at her hands. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

She nods. "I know." She looks at him once again. "I came here straight from Adrian's."

He leans on the counter and watches her. "Yeah? And?" He can see her shaking slightly and isn't sure what to make of that. "Bayley…"

"I told him I couldn't take it anymore. That I don't deserve everything he puts me through. I deserve to have someone who actually cares about me." She wipes her eyes at the feel of tears. "I told him that he has never appreciated me and that I'm not sure if he ever loved me."

"Did he tell you he did?"

She nods. "I think he only said it so he would continue to get what he wanted from me."

He nods. "Wouldn't surprise me. What'd he say when you told him that?"

"He told me I'm delusional." She snorts at that. "That's when I knew I was the only one who put anything into that relationship." She shrugs. "I broke up with him. And it felt good." She chews on her bottom lip. "And then I ended up here." She watches as Roman turns back toward the stove. "Roman, I don't know if I can jump into another relationship. I like you, but…"

"You don't have to explain, Bayley. I understand. I wouldn't want you to rush into a relationship when you aren't ready." He plates their food and walks over to where Bayley is sitting at the table.

Bayley waits until Roman joins her before beginning to eat. "I wish I would have never gotten back together with him." She looks at Roman.

"Same here, but things happen." He watches her closely. "Something else on your mind?"

She shrugs. "I just…"

"If this is about me, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

She frowns at that. "But… you shouldn't have to wait, Roman. You deserve to be happy."

"You're right, I do. Bayley, I love every minute I get to spend with you. I think I've made it pretty clear that I like you. So if that means I have to wait? Then I have to wait. You are worth the wait, Bayley."

She blushes as she looks down at her plate. "Really?"

"Yes, really." He smirks. "You shouldn't be surprised."

"No one has ever made me feel like I'm worth it though." She looks at him once again. "I guess I better get used to this with you, huh?"

He nods. "Yes, you better."

She smiles at him. "This is really good, by the way."

"Thank you. Glad you're enjoying it. One of my favorites to make. I can't make it often. Besides the fact that I'm on the road a lot, Liliana doesn't like the smell. So when she's with me, I don't make it."

"She's with her mom then?"

Roman nods. "Yeah. Amber picked her up this morning actually."

"How are things going with that? I know there had been some issues with her letting you see Liliana."

"It's fine now. Amber and I finally sat down and talked. We both agreed that Liliana is our number one priority. And it needs to be that way. Amber and I will always have our issues. But in the end, it's Liliana that we need to be concerned about. So we've set aside our differences for the sake of our daughter."

"That's good. It's good that you've been able to do that. Not many people can."

"It hasn't been easy, won't lie about that. But it's what's best for Liliana."

"And I'm sure she loves it. I know you love having her around."

Roman nods. "Yeah. I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for her."

"She adores you, Roman."

After eating and cleaning up the kitchen, they head to the TV room. They settle on 50 First Dates which has just started. Bayley, however, doesn't pay much attention to it at first. She's too busy trying to figure things out when Roman.

"Did you bring any clothes?" Roman asks after a short time.

Bayley blushes. "No. Like I said, I came here right after leaving Adrian's."

Roman nods. "Okay. I can give you a shirt or something to sleep in."

"Thank you. But…"

"But what? I'm not letting you drive home tonight." He looks at her. "You'll stay here. I have plenty of space."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He grins.

"Okay. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He shifts enough to rest his arm along the back of the couch behind her. He'd give anything to be able to kiss her right now. But he won't rush her. It's not something she needs. He's going to let her have her time.

"Roman."

"Hmmm?"

"Will you kiss me again?"

He looks over at Bayley. "Do you want me to?"

She nods slowly. "Yes. Please? I know I shouldn't ask because I don't know if I'm ready for anything more, but…"

"I can't kiss you if you don't stop talking." He smiles when she closes her mouth. "Look at me."

She looks at him and chews on her bottom lip. "Roman, I'm sorry. I shouldn't…"

"You really should stop talking." He leans over. "Though, I do like hearing your voice." He closes the distance and kisses her softly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Roman steps out of his bedroom the next morning just in time to see Bayley walking out of the bathroom. He watches her look over at him and immediately sees the slight blush. "Good morning," he says.

Bayley blushes even more. "Morning," she responds. She runs a hand through her hair as she watches Roman closely. After last night, she's not sure what she should be doing right now. She takes a deep breath when Roman stops in front of her.

"Sleep well?"

She nods. "I did. You?"

"Not too bad." He can't help but let his gaze fall to the shirt she's wearing, his shirt. He clears his throat as he looks away. "Want some breakfast?"

"Breakfast sounds good." She smiles shyly as they walk downstairs. "Thank you for letting me stay."

"No problem." He gestures toward the island after they get into the kitchen. "Have a seat." He watches as she sits at the counter. "Pancakes?"

"Pancakes sound good. Do you need help with anything?"

"No, I've got it." He pulls everything out that he's going to need. "I think you should stay."

Bayley watches him. "Stay?"

"Yeah. Stay here? We're both going to be in Orlando at the end of the week, so why not?"

"I don't have any clothes."

"Pensacola does have stores." He grins as he starts mixing the batter. "And I have a washer and dryer. Besides, if you go home, he's liable to show up." He glances over at her, not surprised by the way she's looking at him. "I don't want him near you, Bayley. If that means keeping you here this week, then so be it."

"Roman…"

"I've seen what he's done to you. I'm not letting that happen again." He knows he has no right to tell her what to do, but he can't help but want to keep her safe. Letting out a soft sigh, he flips the pancakes. "I know I have no right telling you what to do or anything like that. Even if we were together, I'm not that kind of man. But he hurt you and I can't bear to see that look of pain on your face again."

Bayley slips of the stool and walks over to stand behind Roman. She surprises herself when she wraps her arms around the Samoan. "You are an amazing man." She kisses his tattooed covered shoulder. "I don't deserve you."

"You deserve the world, Bayley." He sucks in a deep breath when she kisses his shoulder once again.

"I can't promise you anything, Roman. Not after him. I wish I could give you something more."

"You don't have to give me anything." He rests a hand over hers. "I'm here. If you want to be something more than just friends, we'll do it how you want to. I'm not going to rush you into anything. After what he put you through, I wouldn't be surprised if you stayed single for quite some time."

She takes a step back when Roman moves to plate the pancakes. She watches him closely, unsure of what she should do next. She wants to be close to him, but she also doesn't want to tease him. She can't guarantee what she'll be able to do. She's not sure if she's ready to jump into another relationship. Adrian broke her and now she has to piece herself back together. But she loved the idea of Roman being there to help her through the process.

"Sit," Roman says as he gestures to the island.

"Are you going to sit too?"

He nods. "As soon as I get us something to drink." He sits down beside her after pouring them both some milk. "I hope milk is okay. I guess I should've asked."

She smiles at him. "Milk is the best way to go when having pancakes."

He grins. "Agreed."

She watches him closely as they both begin to eat. As she does, she has to wonder some things about the man. He's been nothing but amazing with her. What happened to his relationship with Liliana's mom? She chews on her bottom lip as she looks down at her plate. Could she ask him about him? It's really none of her business. But it couldn't hurt to ask, right? The worst that could happen is he tells her he doesn't want to talk about it.

"Roman…"

He looks at her. "Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course." He takes a sip of his milk. "What's up?"

She looks over at him once again as she takes a shaky breath. "What happened between you and Liliana's mom?"

Roman grins. He should have expected this question at some point. He just hadn't thought it would be brought up so soon. "Well…"

"I'm sorry. You don't have to answer."

"No, it's fine." He shrugs. "Not like it's something that's been kept a secret. Amber and I were total opposites. From the beginning we kinda both knew it would never last. She wanted a high profile life and relationship. I wanted a simple life… a family life. Yeah, I get that I'm a professional wrestler so obviously it's not exactly simple or whatever. She wanted more than this though. She wanted L.A. and all that. We fought about it constantly. To the point where we wouldn't even talk to each other for days. We were on the verge of breaking up for the umpteenth when she found out she was pregnant. So we tried. And all we ever did was fight. What were we going to name the baby? We needed a bigger place before the baby arrived. Mind you, we were in a three bedroom apartment at the time. Liliana was four months when we finally had enough. I packed up and left. I fought Amber tooth and nail to be able to see Liliana."

"That must have been hard."

"Hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I would have rather stayed with Amber than have to deal with that bull shit again." He sighs. "There were plenty of times that we would arrange for me to pick her up and then out of nowhere Amber calls me and tells me she changed her mind. That went on for far too long. And I blame myself. There were many times I had talked about hanging up my boots so I could be closer to her. But the family talked me out of that one. I finally sat Amber down and told her she needed to stop this shit or I was going to go file for sole custody. That finally did it for her. So we sat and talked everything through. She and I will always have our issues, but in the end we need to focus on Liliana."

"So you have joint custody?"

"Yeah. It's still difficult with the way I travel. But now that Amber and I are on the same page for the most part, I get to call regularly. Plus we skype as well."

"She adores you."

"She's my world."

Bayley watches him finish his milk. "Have you dated since you two broke up?"

"I wouldn't exactly say dated. I've been out a few times, but nothing serious." He looks at her. "Did you date before Adrian?"

"Not really." She shakes her head. "I'm pretty inexperienced when it comes to everything."

"There's nothing wrong with that." He stands up and grabs his empty plate to grab another small stack of pancakes.

"How long has it been since you had sex?" Bayley has her hand over her mouth the moment the question is out. She hadn't meant to ask that one. _You idiot._

Roman looks over at her, surprised by the question. He can't help but grin at how red she is. "It's been quite some time." He sets his plate down and turns to face Bayley. "Let me ask you something while we're on the subject of sex." He's not surprised when he sees her face turning even redder. "Did he ever give you attention?"

Bayley finally lowers her hand. "What do you mean? Attention how?"

"During sex. Was it all about him? Or did he return what you gave him?" He watches her contemplate the question.

She chews on her bottom lip as she thinks it over. She can't remember if she ever really felt pleasure when it came to having sex with Adrian. At least not in the end. The beginning? Even then there wasn't much. "No."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

_Bayley stands outside of Roman's bedroom trying to figure out her next move. She knows this isn't a good idea. She doesn't know what she wants for sure and she hates that she's continuing to tease him like this. But… maybe this is really it. Maybe this is what she needs. The worst that can happen is he tells her no. She frowns at the thought. That would be devastating. She's not sure she could actually handle that. Maybe this isn't a good idea. What if he does turn her down? _

_Taking a shaky breath, Bayley reaches for the door knob. He won't turn her down, not after everything they've been through this week. She steps into the room quietly, not wanting to wake him up just yet. She walks over to the bed, taking in the way he's so relaxed. The moonlight shines softly over his tattooed shoulder. She smiles to herself as she continues to watch him. The man is perfect; she knows it's more than just his looks. Yes, she obviously finds him attractive; she'd be crazy not to. But the man is absolutely amazing and has been since day one. _

_When Roman moves, Bayley sucks in a deep breath and takes a step back. She's not ready for him to wake up. Licking her lips, she watches as he rolls onto his back. She needs to make a move. If she's going to do something, she needs to do it now. She moves closer to the bed. _

_"__Fuck," Roman says shooting up in bed, causing Bayley to jump back. "You scared the shit out of me, Bayley."_

_She frowns. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I um…" She chews on her bottom lip. Maybe this was a bad idea._

_"__No, it's okay." He reaches over to turn the bedside lamp on. "You okay?"_

_"__Yeah. I just… I um…"_

_"__Just say it, Bayley. It's me here. You can talk to me."_

_She steps toward the bed again. "What if I don't want to talk?" Did she just ask that? Yes, yes she did. And she means it._

_"__Then what do you want?"_

_"__You." She takes another shaky breath as she watches Roman. Now that it's out there, she just has to wait to see what he says._

_"__Me?" Roman watches her closely. "Bayley, I don't do one night stands."_

_"__Neither do I. I can't promise I'll be able to do this again soon, but I know I want to be with you." She shrugs. "Is that wrong?"_

_"__No." Roman shifts and holds his hand out to her. "Come 'ere."_

_Bayley takes his hand and lets him pull her onto the bed. She's nervous, there's no question about it. But she can already tell this is going to be completely different from every time she was with Adrian. Roman pulls her leg over his thighs so she's straddling him._

_"__You say stop and we stop," he whispers before nuzzling her neck. "So beautiful, Bayley." He darts his tongue out and licks a small area. "I'm going to make you feel things that you never thought possible."_

_Funny part about the comment is the fact that she already is. She licks her lips as she curls her fingers into Roman's hair. She gasps when she feels him bite down gently on her neck. It should scare her. She should want to pull away after that, but she can't. She doesn't want to. No, it feels too good._

_Roman turns Bayley's head and kisses her; it's a forceful, but passionate kiss. Bayley tightens her grip in his hair. She never knew a kiss could make her feel this way. Roman slides an arm around her waist and flips them over so he's hovering over her, never breaking the kiss. He pulls her hand free from his hair and pins it above her head. He finds her other hand and does the same as he trails kisses down to her neck. _

_"__It's okay to be nervous," he says softly, linking their fingers together. He pulls up enough to look at her. "Okay?"_

_She nods slowly. "Just… promise to stop if I tell you to."_

_"__I promise." He kisses her again. "You just say the word and I stop." He releases her hands as he deepens the kiss. _

_The moment he releases her hands, she's wrapping her arms around him. She trails her hands up and down his smooth back. He breaks the kiss and slides down her body, placing soft kisses on every inch of skin he can as he goes. He pushes her shirt up and kisses her stomach, smiling when he feels the slight flutter. He glances up at her, not at all surprised to find her cheeks red._

_"__Sorry," she says softly._

_"__Don't apologize." He pulls her to sit up so he can get her t-shirt off. "Have I mentioned that you look gorgeous in my t-shirts?"_

_"__No I don't."_

_"__Yeah, you do." He tosses the shirt to the side before kissing her once again. "Don't argue with me because you won't win." He smiles against her lips when she whines at that. He lays her back down and trails kisses down her neck. He slides lower down her body. _

_Bayley watches as he slides his hands up her sides. When he rubs his thumbs gently over her nipples, she can't stop the moan that slips out of her mouth. He smiles as he leans in, closing his mouth over a nipple. She gasps, arching against his touch. Should it feel like this? She's never felt anything like this before. Adrian barely touched her when they were together. But Roman? He can't keep his hands or mouth off her. It's a good feeling. She reaches down and curls her fingers into his dark hair as he moves his attention to her other breast._

_She whimpers when Roman moves even lower and kisses the inside of her thigh. She chews on her bottom lip as she watches him. He can't possibly want to do this, right? "Roman?"_

_He looks up at her. "You okay?"_

_She nods slowly. "Have you done this before?" She licks her lips as she watches him._

_"__Yes." He's surprised by the question. Has she never had this done to her before? "He never did this?"_

_"__No. I never knew guys really did this."_

_He frowns at that. "I can stop if you want."_

_"__No. I just… you want to?"_

_He nods. "Yeah, I do." Truth is it's something he's always loved doing. "We don't have to." He rubs her thighs as he watches her. "Tell me what to do."_

_"__Just… make me feel something I never have."_

_He smirks. "I can do that." He leans down, kissing the inside of her thigh once again. "Relax." He pushes her legs apart and turns his head to lick slowly at her clit._

Bayley shoots up in bed when a crack of thunder shakes the house. She runs a hand through her hair as she looks around. No, there's no way that was a dream. But it was. She's in the guest bedroom and Roman is not in bed with her. She falls back and groans. Why did it have to be a dream? When another crack of thunder sounds, she pulls the covers up over her head.

"Stop," she mumbles. She hates storms and the fact that she isn't in the comfort of her own place makes her nervous. Sure, she's comfortable here, but it still isn't home. She jumps when there's a knock on her door. She throws the blankets off and glances over at the clock, frowning when she doesn't see anything. "Come in." She hears the door open before she sees the flashlight glare.

"Sorry if I woke you," Roman says softly.

Bayley nearly whimpers at the sound of his voice. "No, you didn't."

"Good. Power's out. I was walking by to head downstairs when I heard you talking. Just wanted to make sure I hadn't woken you up when I was walking around."

She sits up. "No, I woke up on my own." She licks her lips. She's glad that she can't see much of Roman right now. There's no way she could handle it after that dream.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She clears her throat after she squeaks.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I just… don't like storms." It's the truth, not the entire truth, but the truth nonetheless.

Roman chuckles. "Nothing to be ashamed of. It shouldn't last long."

"I hope not." She chews on her bottom lip.

"There's a flashlight in the nightstand if you need one. Try to get some sleep."

Bayley wraps her arms around her knees as Roman leaves the room. How is she supposed to face him now? She should just leave now before the morning. She could avoid the embarrassment of having to think about the dream. No, she can't leave now. She's too tired still to drive. Maybe she could leave before Roman got up for the day. No, she won't be able to do that either.

* * *

Roman looks over from where he's standing at the counter when he hears Bayley walk in, surprised that she's up already. "Morning," he says. He raises an eyebrow when he sees her blush.

"Morning," Bayley says. She looks away quickly.

"Did you get anymore sleep?"

"Yeah."

He frowns as he watches her. "You're avoiding looking at me, why?"

"I am not."

"You are." He walks over to her and lifts her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Tell me why."

"I um…"

"Bayley, just tell me."

"I had a dream last night." _No, don't tell him about it. He's going to laugh at you._

"Yeah? About what?"

"You." _Don't do it, Bayley!_ "It's so stupid."

"Funny, I dreamt about you too." He grins as he takes a step back. "You weren't the one chewing your lip in my dream though."

Bayley gapes at him. He had a dream about her? Not only was it a dream, but they were together in some form. "Roman…"

"Can I kiss you now?"

"Yes." _Yes? Should she have said that?_

Roman leans down and kisses her softly. "You need to stop being so nervous around me. I'm still Roman."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Bayley looks across the table at Emma and smiles. She's wanted to tell her best friend about what happened, but she's too scared to bring it up. Emma raises an eyebrow at Bayley and shakes her head.

"Okay, so talk," Emma says. "You want to tell me and I want you to tell me. So tell me." She smiles.

"After I left Adrian's the other day I went straight to Roman's. I didn't even know where I was going until I pulled into his driveway." Bayley blushes. "He's perfect, Emma. I don't know what it is about him. He's amazing. And the way he kisses me." She covers her face, embarrassed with herself for how she's acting.

"Bayley, tell me! You can't stop there."

Bayley licks her lips nervously. "Every time he kisses me, I feel like I'm floating or something. It's stupid and doesn't make any sense. So go ahead and laugh at me for how naïve I'm being."

Emma laughs softly. "Bayley, you aren't being naïve. I still get that way when Dean kisses me."

"Yeah?"

Emma nods. "Did you sleep with him?"

"No." Bayley knows she's blushing again. "I had a dream about it though. Not everything, but…" She shrugs. "But I woke up. It felt real though."

"Did you tell him?"

"Kind of." Bayley looks up when someone stops next to the table.

"Kind of tell who what?" Dean asks as he sits down beside Emma.

"Nothing," Bayley answers quickly. She looks at Emma hoping she won't say anything.

"You do know I know you were at Roman's all week, right?"

"I'm sure you do."

"Then I'm sure whatever you're talking about I've heard about."

"So?"

Dean smirks. "Nothing to be embarrassed about. Superman will be here shortly."

Emma hits Dean's arm. "Will you be nice?"

"I am." He smiles at her. "How aren't I being nice?"

"Why Superman?" Bayley asks.

"What?" Dean raises an eyebrow at her. "Oh…" He shrugs. "Just an observation."

Bayley wants to ask Dean more but stops when she sees Roman walking over. She runs a hand through her hair as the man steps behind her to sit in the seat beside her. She looks over at him, wondering what he's thinking right now. What if he regrets everything that's happened?

"Hey," Roman says winking at her.

"Hi," she says.

"What's going on here?"

"She's talking about you," Dean answers. "Well, was. Stopped when I came over though." He lays his arm across the back of Emma's chair. "She must think I haven't heard everything."

"You haven't," Bayley says.

"No? Then dazzle me with what I've missed."

"Nothing you need to know about," Emma says.

"He knows about the dream," Roman says softly. "Well, about as much as I do anyways."

Bayley looks at him with wide eyes. "You told him?"

Roman shrugs. "Yeah." He watches her. "Don't look at me like that. You told Emma."

"Yeah, but…"

"But what? She's your best friend, right?" When she nods, he points to Dean. "He's mine." He rolls his eyes when Dean plasters on a wide smile. "For some reason."

Bayley nods. "I just… didn't know guys talked like that."

"We don't admit it very often." Roman smirks.

She watches him. "Okay." She smiles a little as he rests his arms on the table.

"Have you seen him today?"

She shakes her head. "No. I heard he's here though. Just haven't seen him."

He nods. "I don't want you alone tonight."

"Roman, you can't be with me the entire night."

"No, but you can make sure you're with someone. Whether it's me, Emma, or Dean, make sure you're with someone." He watches her closely. "Please. I can't let anything happen to you."

She smiles as she rests her chin on his shoulder. "Okay. You really are Superman, huh?"

"What?"

"Nothing. Forget it." She wrinkles her nose when Dean chuckles. She turns her head but doesn't take it off Roman's shoulder. She tenses when she sees Adrian walk in.

"So where are we going after the show?" Emma asks. "We need to go out."

"I'm up for anything," Roman answers.

"Strip club?" Dean asks.

"Only if the strippers at men," Emma says.

"What? That's no fun."

"Exactly. There's a dance club we can go to."

"I don't dance," Adrian says approaching the table.

Bayley sits up straight and looks down at her hands. She wishes she could just tell him to leave her alone. She tenses when she feels a hand on her back, but immediately relaxes when she realizes it's Roman's hand.

"No one asked you," Roman says, his voice a little huskier than normal.

"Oh, come on. I'm sure Bayley would love to have me there."

"You better walk away, Neville."

Bayley leans closer to Roman. "Go away," she finally says looking up at Adrian.

"She won't stay with you, Reigns. She'll come crawling back to me."

"Doubtful," Roman says. He rubs Bayley's back, thankful when Adrian does walk away. "You okay?"

Bayley nods. "Yes." She smiles a little. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me." He kisses her temple. "And that's why I want you to have someone with you tonight. Until this blows over, I think it's for the best."

She nods again. "I need to get out of here."

"Come on." Roman stands up and gestures for her to stand as well. "We'll see you two later."

Dean nods. "Maybe I'll kick his ass when you leave," he says.

"No," Bayley says panicked. "No, don't make it worse."

"I was kidding, Bayley. I won't do anything."

"Okay." She relaxes a little when Roman takes her hand and leads her out of the room. "I'm sorry, Roman."

"What are you apologizing for?" Roman asks.

"How I'm acting. I'm being pathetic."

"No, you aren't." He squeezes her hand gently. "You are acting like you had your heart broken."

"But I shouldn't let it affect me. He was horrible to me."

"Maybe so, but you loved him."

She looks at him. "Roman…"

He smiles at her. "It's okay, Bayley. This thing with us is still beyond new. I'd be an idiot to think your feelings for him would end just like that."

"But it's different now."

"I know."

"Roman?"

"What?"

"What are we?" She looks up at him.

"What do you want us to be? I will take this wherever you want it to go, Bayley. If you aren't ready for a relationship, then we'll be friends. I'm okay with that. If you want it to be more, then we make it official. I don't share, Bayley."

"Neither do I." She chews on her bottom lip as they walk into Roman and Dean's dressing room. "I just…"

"Just what?" Roman sits down and looks up at her, never letting go of her hand. "Talk to me, Bayley."

"You make me feel things that I've never felt before. When you kiss me, I feel like I'm floating on a cloud or something. You make me nervous but happy at the same time. These last few days have made me realize what I've been missing. But I'm so inexperienced with everything. And I'm broken. He broke me and you shouldn't have to deal with that."

"Are you kidding me?" Roman rests his free hand on her thigh and tugs her a little closer. "Bayley, I want to be the one to pick the pieces up and put them back together. I want to be there when you decide you want more. I want…"

"To be my Superman."

He licks his lips. "Well, yeah, I guess you could say that." He tugs on her hand. "Come here." He pulls her down and kisses her softly. He's surprised when she moves to straddle his lap. He slides a hand up to her cheek, rubbing the smooth skin with his thumb.

"Roman," she says pulling back. She rests her hands on his cheeks. "Thank you for being so patient with me."

"Anything for you."


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the delay! **

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

Wrestlemania, the grandest stage of them all, and Bayley is here. Okay, so she isn't wrestling, but she gets to be out there with Emma when she does. And then she gets to see Roman in the main event. She beams at that thought. Roman is in the main event. She'd give anything to be with him, but she knows she can't. There's too much going on around him, especially with his family here.

Bayley walks into the Diva's locker room and smiles when she sees Emma. "Hey," she says as she approaches her best friend.

Emma smiles. "Hey," she responds. "You look like you have something on your mind."

Bayley shrugs. "Guess I kinda do." She sits down, letting out a soft breath. "I just wish I could be with Roman right now."

"Why can't you?"

"His family is here. Plus they're doing some show or something so camera are following him everywhere."

"I'm sure he'd want to see you though. Everyone knows that you two are friends."

"It's different now though." Bayley blushes. "I can't look at him as just a friend anymore. There's that thing about him now that…"

"You're falling for him."

Bayley simply nods. "Yeah, I am. He's perfect."

"Okay, so I'm not trying to ruin anything. But you two will likely fight."

"I know that."

"But it's not going to be like it was with Adrian."

"I know that too." Bayley smiles. "I trust Roman."

"And you should."

"Enough about that. How are you doing?"

"Trying to make myself believe that this is real." Emma shrugs. "I'm nervous, scared, excited. Ask me again when I'm going out there though."

"You're going to be amazing."

"I'm glad you're going to be out there with me. Not sure I could do it on my own."

The show has been amazing. Bayley still can't believe she's here. And she got to be ringside for Emma's match. It was an amazing feeling; she could only imagine how Emma felt the entire time. The only thing that could make this night better would be seeing Roman. She knows this is for the best. She doesn't want to get in the way of anything.

She stands with several of the others as the main event begins. She's nervous. She never knew it could be possible to be this nervous for a match that she has nothing to do with. She chews on her bottom lip as she watches Roman get suplexed. This isn't a good start; not against Lesner. She flinches when another suplex is hit. "Come on, Roman," she whispers.

Her heart sinks when the match ends. How could this happen? Why did it have to be tonight? Bayley watches as Roman finally sits up in the middle of the ring. It's a scene that's all too familiar; she remembers this scene a mere nine months ago. The camera pans in on Roman and Bayley hates that she can't comfort him right now.

Bayley stands out of sight and watches Roman as he holds Liliana and hugs his mom. She'd give anything to be the one hugging him right now but knows that can't happen. She chews on her bottom lip as she watches Roman take a step back. He smiles down at his mom. Bayley loves that anyone can see how much he loves his mom. He nods at something Patricia says.

After standing there for another moment, Bayley finally turns away and heads back toward the Diva's locker room. She steps inside and smiles at Emma. "How's Dean?" she asks.

Emma shrugs. "Okay," she answers. "He's not really saying much. But the doctor released him so it must not be too bad, right?"

Bayley nods. "Yes. If it was worse, they wouldn't have. I'm surprised you aren't with him now."

The blonde grins. "I came to get my bag and find you before I went back to him."

"Well go." She jumps a little when there's a knock on the door. "God, that scared me."

Emma laughs softly. "Come in." She smiles when she sees Dean step in. "Hey."

"Hey back," Dean says. He waves at Bayley. "Roman's looking for you."

Bayley frowns at him. "What do you mean he's looking for me?"

"Exactly what I said." Dean grins. "Don't sound so surprised. He wants to see you. He should be back at the locker room now."

"Okay." She frowns even more as she looks at Emma, not entirely surprised when the blonde motions for the door. "I'll see you two later." When she arrives at the door she knows goes to the room Roman is using, she stops. What if he really didn't want to see her? She frowns at her own thought. Dean wouldn't tell her Roman wanted to see her if he really didn't. "Grow up, Bayley." She finally knocks on the door.

"Come in," Roman calls out.

Bayley takes a deep breath before pushing the door open and stepping inside. She sees Roman sitting across the room, with his family around as well. She wants to turn and run when she sees his family. She shouldn't be here right now.

"Hey," Roman says with a smile.

"Hi," Bayley responds. She licks her lips nervously as she watches him. "I um…"

"Come over here."

She chews on her bottom lip as she walks over. She should have ran while she could. She shouldn't be here right now. When she reaches Roman, she stops and watches him closely. He slides his hands to her thighs before dropping his forehead to her stomach. She's surprised by the action, but it doesn't stop her from resting a hand on his bare shoulder as she slides her fingers through his loose hair.

"I'm glad you're here," he says softly.

"I wouldn't have missed it."

"No…" He rubs her legs. "I mean in here. I'm glad you came here." He pulls back enough to look up at her. "Thank you."

"Roman…"

"I can see how terrified you are right now. And I don't know if it's because of what happened to me out there or if it's because my family is here, but I could see that you wanted to run the moment you walked in."

She nods slowly. "I don't belong in here."

"Yes you do."

"Roman…"

"I want you here."

She smiles at that. "I'm sorry about the match."

He shakes his head. "Don't be." He leans into her hand when she moves it to cup his cheek.

Bayley jumps a little when she feels someone hug her legs. She looks down to find Liliana smiling up at her. "Well, hi there."

"Did you see Daddy's match?"

"I did. I watched it with Emma."

"It was scary, but I didn't cry."

Roman grins at that. "That's because Grandma did enough for the two of you."

"Joseph," Patricia says.

"Try and deny it." He smiles over at his mom.

"Daddy cried too," Liliana says in a loud whisper.

Bayley smiles. "Did he?"

"Liliana, you don't need to announce that to the world," Roman says. He looks at Patricia when she walks over. "Looks like Grandma's ready to head back to the hotel."

Patricia nods. "We are." She leans down, giving Roman yet another kiss and hug. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, Mom." He smiles at her before looking at Liliana again. "All right, I will see you guys when I get back to the hotel. Liliana, listen to Grandma and Papa."

"I will."

Bayley watches as everyone leaves before looking at Roman once again. "I'll go so you can shower."

Roman shakes his head and takes her hand. "Don't leave." He tugs her closer, pulling her down enough to kiss her.

She gasps a little but immediately relaxes. She rests her hands on the sides of his neck as he deepens the kiss. She could definitely get used to this. In fact, she's pretty much used to it. The feelings she gets with Roman is something she knows is special. She pulls back after a moment and smiles at him.

"Been waiting all day to do that," Roman says softly. "You kept avoiding me."

"I didn't want to be in the way."

He chuckles. "Were you scared of my family?"

She nods. "A little." She shrugs. "I guess more nervous. This is their time with you."

"Bayley, you need to understand that I want to see you every chance I get." He rests a hand on her thigh. "I don't care what's going on or where we are. You do not need avoid me. Even if you just want to keep it strictly platonic in public, I want to be able to see you. Got it?"

She smiles at him. "Got it."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Roman follows Dean up the stairs to the apartment Bayley, Emma, and Paige share. He lets out a heavy breath when Dean knocks on the door. "So what exactly am I doing here?" he asks.

"Hanging out with us," Dean answers.

"Yeah, because I really want to watch you make out with Emma."

Dean snorts. "Bayley's here too." He looks over when the door opens. "Speak of the devil."

Bayley frowns. "Huh?"

"Nothing." Dean kisses her cheek before walking inside.

Bayley frowns even more as she looks at Roman. "I missed something," she says.

Roman grins. "Don't worry about it," he says. "He's just… Dean." He steps in front of Bayley. "I didn't know you were gonna be here."

"I didn't know you were coming with Dean." She blushes as she looks up to meet Roman's gray gaze. "I'm glad you came though."

"I'm glad you're here." He watches her closely. "You gonna invite me in?"

Her blush deepens. "Yes, sorry."

Roman follows her inside and closes the door behind him. "Nothing to apologize for." He looks around the apartment as he sets his bag down by the table. "The three of you live here?"

"Yeah. I know it's not much…"

"No, it's nice. Better than my first place. My second place too for that matter. I always hit my head walking through doors in that one." He smiles at the sound of Bayley's giggle. "I'm glad you find that funny."

"If you weren't so freakishly tall."

"I am not freakishly tall." He laughs softly. "Maybe you're just freakishly short."

"Hmmm… no, I don't think so." She smiles at him before they walk into the living room.

"Pizza has been ordered," Emma says. "It's already on it's way. Bayley and I also already chose the movie."

"Which is not fair," Dean says.

Bayley blushes a little when Roman sits down close to her. "Why isn't it fair?"

"It's a damn chick flick."

Roman chuckles. "Did you really expect it not to be?"

"I told him you two could choose the next movie," Emma says.

"See, there ya go." He shifts to rest his arm along the back of the couch behind Bayley. "What movie did you two decide on?"

"Dirty Dancing," Bayley answers. She smiles at him. "We decided to wait to start it until the pizza gets here."

"That's fine." He smiles when she shifts, resting her head on his arm.

"Is this okay?" she asks softly, so soft in fact that he barely manages to catch the question.

"Yes," he answers just as softly. "Perfectly."

"Okay." She blushes as she settles in.

Roman can't help but smile as the end of the movie comes along and the girls are humming along with the music. They had done it with most of the songs during the movie. He looks at Bayley, smiling wider when she looks back at him. She blushes but smiles in return.

"I love that movie," Emma says.

"Me too," Bayley says.

"We get to choose now, right?" Dean asks.

"Yes."

Bayley stands up and takes the empty pizza box from the coffee table. She smiles when Roman stands to grab the pop cans. "You don't have to help," she says.

"I don't mind," he responds. He follows her into the kitchen. "Do you recycle cans?"

"Yeah. There's a bag under the sink for those."

"Okay."

"So what movie are you two going to make us watch?"

"I don't know. Guess I'll have to talk to Dean about that one." He glances into the living room to make sure the other two aren't paying attention before turning Bayley around. "I can't wait to do this any longer." He leans down and kisses her.

Bayley gasps but doesn't back away. Instead, she rests her hands on his chest and lets him continue the soft kiss. After a few moments, they both pull back. He reaches up and runs his thumb over her bottom lip.

"You should probably go talk to Dean about the movie," she says softly.

"Yeah, probably."

Emma walks in just as Roman walks out. She smiles at Bayley. "What were you two doing?" she asks.

"Nothing," Bayley answers.

"Lair."

"He kissed me." Bayley blushes. "He's perfect."

"Are you two official?"

"No."

"Bayley, what are you scared of?"

"Being hurt. Which is ridiculous. I know he won't hurt me."

"You're right, he won't. That doesn't mean you two won't argue, but he adores you."

Bayley nods. "Maybe I should tell him I want more."

"That's a good start."

"You two coming back?" Dean asks.

"We'll be right there," Emma calls back. She smiles at Bayley. "Tell him soon."

"I will."

Roman watches Bayley sit down beside him once again. Instead of laying his arm on the back of the couch, he settles him arm around Bayley's shoulders. She leans closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"So what are we watching?" Emma asks.

"The Shining," Dean answers.

Bayley frowns a little as she shares a look with Emma. She's never been one for scary movies, but she doesn't want to admit that to Roman. How would that make her look? Maybe it'll be different with Roman beside her. She relaxes slightly when Roman kisses the top of her head; though, she knows that won't last.

It doesn't take a lot for Roman to know that Bayley isn't comfortable with the movie. He's just glad that she makes it through it. Though, if she wanted to turn it off, he'd gladly do so for her. He sees Emma shiver as she shuts the movie off.

"You better be ready for nightmares," Emma says glaring at Dean.

Dean laughs softly. "I'll hold you."

Roman looks at Bayley after the other two say their goodnights and head down to Emma's room. "You okay?" he asks.

Bayley looks at him as she stands up. "Yeah, I'm fine," she says. She smiles, hoping that it comes off as a normal smile.

"Okay." He watches her carefully. "You know, there's nothing wrong with being scared of movies."

"I'm not scared. I'm going to go get changed."

"Okay."

She returns a couple minutes later, chewing on her bottom lip. She hadn't even changed yet. "Roman…"

He looks at her, frowning at the look on her face. "Yeah?"

"Will you stay with me tonight?"

Standing up, Roman walks over to where she's standing. "Of course I will." He rests a hand on her cheek. "You okay?"

She nods. "Just… freaked out I guess. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for. Come on. Let's get to bed." He grabs his bag before following her down the hall and into her bedroom. He closes the door behind. "Want me to wait in the hall while you change?"

"No, it's okay." She grabs her pajamas from her bed. "Just… turn around?"

"Of course. You turn that way. I'll change why you do too."

"Okay." Bayley turns around after Roman does and changes.

"I'm done," Roman says after a moment.

"Me too." Bayley turns back around and smiles shyly at Roman. "Don't think I'm being pathetic."

He chuckles. "I could never think that. You were freaked out by a movie. I just wish you would've said something sooner." He watches as she moves to the bed and pulls the covers down.

"I was trying to get through it and not have you thinking I'm a baby." She shrugs.

"I wouldn't think that, Bayley." He watches as she climbs into bed. He doesn't want to make a move until she gives him an okay.

"Are you getting in?"

He grins as he moves over to climb into bed. "Just wanted to make sure you were ready." He rolls onto his side and watches her. "I'm here, Bayley. Whatever you need."

She smiles at him. "You being here is enough. I owe you."

"Nah. Well, maybe a kiss or two." He can't help but laugh a little when she blushes. "I love how easily you blush."

"Well, you've obviously been beyond successful in making me blush." She leans over and kisses him. "Can we talk?"

"Of course." He shifts so he's now on his back. "Something on your mind?"

She nods as she moves to sit, facing him. "Yeah. I um…" She licks her lips as she meets his gaze. "I don't want to just be friends with you."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Roman lifts himself to his elbows, never taking his eyes off her. He's slightly nervous on where this conversation is going. With Bayley, Roman can never be sure. "You don't?" he asks.

"No."

"Okay. So what does that mean?" He can see her fighting with herself on what to say next. "I know what I think it means, but I need to hear it from you. You have to be the one to tell me what you want, Bayley."

She nods slowly. "I know I do. It's just…" She shakes her head. She has to stop comparing any of this with Adrian. This is so far from anything he did that she needs to realize that this is what it should be like. "I want everything." She licks her lips nervously. "I don't want anyone else to have you. I um…" She kisses him.

Roman is surprised by the kiss but doesn't make a move to stop it. He shifts slightly and slides an arm around her waist. Bayley moves to her knees to get closer to him, whimpering softly when he uses his size advantage to roll them over. She slides a hand up his back before curling her fingers into his hair. When he moves to settle between her legs, she doesn't waste any time in letting him there. She moves her hands down his back and tugs at his shirt.

"You sure?" Roman asks as he pulls back enough to look at her.

"Yes," Bayley answers. She continues to pull at his shirt, smiling shyly when he finally pulls back a bit further to let her take it off completely. She's seen him without his shirt on before. Nothing, however, compares to being this close to him. Nothing beats being able to touch him.

Leaning down, he kisses her again, this time softer. He doesn't take long to move to her neck, placing light kisses over her smooth skin. As he moves lower, he slips a hand under her shirt. He smiles against her neck when he feels her stomach flutter at the light touch of his fingertips.

"Don't laugh at me," Bayley says softly.

"I'm not." He moves back up and kisses her. "Definitely not laughing at you." He slips an around her and shifts them both so she's sitting on top of him. He watches her as he pushes her shirt up her torso. When she lifts her arms, he pulls the shirt over her head. He isn't surprised by the slightly nervous look on her face. "We'll go slow."

She nods. "I'm just not used to this."

"Used to what?"

"Someone being so gentle with me." She gasps when Roman closes his mouth around her nipple. "Oh God, Roman." She licks her lips as she watches him.

"I'll take care of you, Bayley." He places kisses up to her neck again. "I'll keep you safe. I won't let anything happen to you." He lays her down once again, staying on his knees long enough to pulls her shorts and underwear off. As soon as she's fully naked, he's leaning down and kissing her once again.

Bayley slides her hands down Roman's back and pushes at his shorts. "Please, Roman." She whimpers as she can feel him move to kick his shorts off. She looks down between them, licking her lips at the sight of him. He's definitely bigger than Adrian.

"Come 'ere." Roman kisses her again. "Wait…" He pulls back and looks at her. "Don't go anywhere."

She frowns as she lifts up onto her elbows as Roman climbs out of bed. "Where are you going?" She watches as he grabs his jeans and pulls his wallet out. When he holds up the condom, she can't help but blush. "You came prepared?"

"You never know when you'll need one." He climbs back onto the bed. "It's been in there for a while." He kisses her softly. "Glad I kept it in there. And listened to my brother."

"He told you to keep a condom in your wallet?"

Roman laughs. "Something like that. Enough about my brother though."

"I think that's a good idea." She pulls his down and kisses him. She gasps when she feels his finger sliding over her center. How could she react at such a little touch?

"Relax," he says as he teases her opening. He kisses her again, pushing his finger in slowly. He doesn't want to hurt her and isn't sure what she's been through in the past. He sucks on her bottom lip as he adds a second finger. As he slowly moves his fingers, he feels her loosening up for him. "Is this okay?"

She nods with a shy smile. She rests her hands on the sides of his neck. "I didn't expect this."

He frowns at that. "What do you mean?"

"He never did this." She pulls Roman down to kiss him once again. "Please, I need you."

Roman barely manages to hold his growl back. He may just have to have a long _talk_ with Adrian next time he sees him. He kisses her once again as he pulls his fingers from inside her. "You sure you're ready?"

Bayley nods. "Please?" She licks her lips nervously as she watches him. She nearly goes into a panic when he moves to sit up, but the panic quickly vanishes when she finds him grabbing the condom.

He rolls the sheath over his cock and looks up at Bayley. "You're so beautiful. I could just sit here all night and stare at you."

She blushes and covers her face. "Stop it. I'm nothing special." She giggles when Roman feathers kisses over her hands.

"You're beyond special, Bayley. Don't you ever forget that." He smiles when she lowers her hands once again. "So beautiful." He kisses her softly as he guides himself into her. She immediately tightens on him. "Breathe." He continues to push in until he's fully buried.

She slides her arms around him, arching up against him. "Oh God, move." She kisses him just as he starts to thrust slowly.

He pulls her arms loose, sliding them above her head, and linking their fingers together. "So perfect." He leans down and kisses her, while it's still a soft kiss it's filled with fire behind it.

"Roman…" Bayley knows she's whining, but she doesn't care. She's never felt this amazing before. She never knew this was how she could feel. "Oh…"

He releases her hands after another moment. He shifts just enough to be able to sit up slightly. "You feel so good, Baby." He smiles when his only response is her moan. He grips her thighs as he quickens his thrusts. "Oh God, I'm not gonna last. Too good."

Bayley gasps. "Oh… yes. Right there." She reaches down to rest her hands on his wrists. "So good." She tugs on his arms, making him fall on top of her, and kisses him.

Roman smirks against her lips before deepening the kiss. He can feel his release building up inside of him. He just hopes she's right there with him. When she draws her legs up around him, he knows she is indeed close. "Come for me, Baby. Let go." He thrusts in one last time, coming with a moan into her mouth.

Bayley gasps, her back arching up against him. "Roman…" She grips his hair as she reaches her release.

Roman drops down on top of her carefully so he doesn't hurt her. He kisses the side of her neck as she combs her fingers through his hair.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Bayley wakes up the following morning when the bed shifts. She goes to roll onto her back, but Roman slides his arm around her before she can. She can't help but smile a little when she feels him kiss her bare shoulder.

"Morning," Roman says.

"Morning."

Roman smiles at how shy she's become once again. "You got shy on me again." He kisses her shoulder again. "Why?"

"I didn't think I was." She rolls onto her back when he loosens her grip. "Did I really get shy again?"

He nods. "Yeah." He smiles. "And now you're blushing." He kisses her cheek. "Doing okay?"

She shifts enough to slide her arms around his neck as he moves to kiss her. "Yes." She smiles against his mouth. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Being so careful with me."

He frowns a little. "You don't have to thank me." He kisses her softly. "Never do anything to hurt you." He kisses her again, this time with a little more force behind it.

Bayley slides a hand up his back and curls her fingers into his hair. "You're amazing."

"Nothing like you." He kisses her again. "If I don't stop kissing you now, I don't know if I'll be able to stop."

"What if I don't want you to stop?"

He grins against her mouth. "As much as I would love to continue, I don't have any more condoms."

She pushes him away. "You don't?"

"No." He grins. "I wasn't expecting to use the one I had." He pulls away and rolls onto his back. "I'll be sure to get more." He watches as she sits up. "Bayley, I don't expect this to happen every night. I don't know what you went through with him, but I've heard people talk about him. And I don't want you to think that this is what I want from you."

She turns to look at him. "I know that. He um…" She smiles. "I thought that's what it was all about. You made me see differently." She leans over and kisses him. "Let me go shower and then I'll make you breakfast."

"No you won't." He sits up and stretches. "Skip the shower for now. We'll go make breakfast together." He watches as she pulls her shirt on.

"Really?" She looks at him, surprised at the offer. "You want to help make breakfast?"

"I wouldn't call it helping." He pulls his shorts on as he stands up. "I call it more of a teamwork activity." He smirks at her. "I like to cook."

She smiles at him. "Me too."

Roman hangs the dish towel over his shoulder. As he passes where Bayley is standing, he can't help but let his hand slide over her lower back. He smiles at her as he stops at the stove. "When you come to Pensacola again, I'm going to have to make you dinner. You ever had a Samoan dish?"

"Can't say that I have." Bayley smiles at him. "You want me to come to Pensacola again?"

"Absolutely." He watches as she stops chopping the onions. "If you want to, I mean. I'd love to cook you a traditional Samoan dinner."

She looks over. "I would love that." She smiles at him before going back to chopping the onions. "I want to be able to cook for you too though. On that trip."

"That can be arranged." He gestures to the onions. "I'm ready for those."

"Okay. They're all yours." She steps back to let him take the cutting board.

"Thanks." He gives her a quick kiss before moving back to the stove.

"Well, good morning," Dean says walking in.

Roman glances over. "Morning."

"Morning," Bayley says softly. She turns away, knowing that her cheeks are turning red.

"So, I take it you two had a good night last night," Dean continues as he grabs the jug of orange juice.

"Dean," Emma says when she walks in. "Knock it off." She smiles at Roman and Bayley. "Morning."

Bayley smiles shyly at her. "Morning." She isn't surprised when Emma steps up beside her, causing her to blush even more.

"You okay?" Emma asks softly.

Bayley nods. "Yes." She licks her lips.

"He was careful?"

She nods again. "He was amazing."

"Good. We'll leave you alone now."

* * *

Roman zips his bag and lets out a soft breath. He glances over at Bayley who smiles almost sadly at him. He leans over and kisses the side of her mouth. "So sad." He kisses her fully on the mouth this time. "Why?"

Bayley shrugs. "I just hate myself right now," she mutters.

He frowns at her. "Why?"

"We're going to two different places and I'm upset about it. And I shouldn't be because I knew this would happen. With the business we're in it's inevitable. But I hate it, because I know I'm going to miss you."

He grins as he sits down in front of her on the bed. "I hate that we're going to be in different places too. But you're right. We knew this because of our business. Doesn't mean I want it to happen. Hell, I miss you already." He leans over again and kisses her. "I've loved being able to wake up with you in my arms. But we'll only be a part for a few days before we're back together."

She nods slowly. "I guess this will be our test, huh?"

"Guess so." He smiles. He rests his hand on her leg. "We'll still get to talk."

"Good." She leans in and kisses him. "God, you must think I'm just a baby."

"Never. You aren't the only one feeling like this." He slides his hand up to her cheek as he kisses her again. "I have to go. Dean's going to start yelling soon."

"Okay."

Bayley and Emma walk outside with the guys to their rental car. Bayley hates that she's getting so emotional over this, but she can't stop herself. Roman walks over after getting his bags into the trunk and wraps his arms around her.

"I'll call you when we get settled at the hotel," he says.

"Okay." She buries her face in his neck.

He rubs her back as he pulls back enough to kiss her softly. "It's going to be okay."

"I know." She looks up at him.

He wipes the tears from her cheeks. "Please don't cry."

"I'm sorry. I'm not meaning to."

He kisses her softly. "I'll talk to you soon."

She nods as she steps back. "Be careful."

"You too." He winks at her before climbing into the passenger seat.

Bayley lets out a soft breath as she steps over to where Emma is standing. "God, I'm pathetic."

"You are not," Emma says with a smile. "You're in love."

Bayley frowns a little. "Yeah, maybe so." She smiles a little. "He's amazing."

"Apparently in more ways than one." Emma nudges her.

"You heard us?" Bayley blushes when Emma nods. "Oh God. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. We didn't hear everything. But your bed is not exactly quiet."

Bayley covers her face. "Oh God!"

Emma laughs. "It's okay, Bayley."

Bayley follows Emma inside. "It's embarrassing."

"The first time Dean stayed here, Paige was here. Dean isn't quiet and apparently neither am I."

"Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Roman sits down after hearing that his flight has been delayed yet again. Damn this weather. He pulls his phone out of his pocket to text Bayley. _Delayed again._ He should have already been back with her. But due to the weather, he couldn't get out of New York. He settles into his seat and looks around to see others looking around for somewhere to sit as well.

_Again!?_

Roman grins at Bayley's response. _Afraid so. I'll let you know when I hear anything._ He hates that he's stuck at the airport. The last four days have been hell without being able to be with Bayley. Of course, that makes him hate himself for letting himself fall so quickly for her. But it really hadn't been all that quickly. It took time. And he would have waited longer if he had to.

_K. Don't stress over it._

Leave it to her to worry about him stressing himself out. _I won't._

A short time later, Roman is finally getting an update for his flight. Unfortunately, it's not the update he had hoped he would be getting. Instead, he's been instructed to see the workers at the information counter for his hotel accommodations. He lets out a soft breath as he grabs his carry on and walks over to the growing line. It's nearly forty minutes later when he's boarding the shuttle bus to go to the hotel. He sits down and pulls his phone out once again.

_You still awake?_ He nods at the man who sits down beside him.

_Yes._

He looks at the man. "You mind if I make a phone call?" he asks.

"That's fine," the man says with a grin. "Was going to ask you the same thing."

Roman smirks. "Have at it." He puts his phone to his ear and listens to Bayley's phone ring.

"Hey," Bayley answers.

"Hey, Baby."

"You sound upset."

"Not really upset. More annoyed I guess." He sighs. "I just boarded a shuttle bus to a hotel. I'm stuck here for the night."

"You are?"

Roman can hear the disappointment in her voice. "I promise that I'll be with you as soon as I can."

"I know. I just… I miss you."

"I miss you too, Baby. Weather should be breaking up though. So hopefully first thing in the morning."

"You'll let me know?"

"Bayley, do you really need to ask me that?" He grins. "Go to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay. Get some sleep."

"I will. Goodnight, Bay."

"Goodnight, Rome."

Roman ends the call and lets out a heavy breath. God, what he wouldn't give to be with her right now. He can only wait to see what the morning will bring. He just hopes it'll be good news rather than all the bad news he's been receiving.

* * *

Roman follows Emma off the elevator and shifts his back pack. "So she doesn't know I'm here, right?" he asks.

"She does not," Emma answers with a smile. "She thinks you're still stuck in New York. She also thinks I took the key card for myself so I wouldn't have to wait for her to answer."

Roman nods. "Thanks for doing this."

"You're welcome. Happy to help." She stops outside of the hotel room door. "Ready?"

"I'm ready." He takes the key from her before stepping past her. He pushes the door open and steps inside. He makes sure Emma has hold of the door before walking the rest of the way. He smiles when he sees Bayley sitting cross legged on the bed. He sets his bags to the side. "Hey, you."

Bayley looks up with wide eyes. "Roman!" She scrambles off the bed and jumps into his arms. "I thought you were still in New York."

Roman lifts her off the ground as he holds her close, not surprised when she wraps her legs around his waist. "Got an early flight here. Was going to call you but then about surprising you." He pulls back enough to kiss her softly. "I thought surprising you was the best option."

"I hate you." She cups his face before kissing him once again.

"I see how much you hate me," he says between kisses.

"Okay, you two continue. I'll see you later," Emma says with a smile.

Roman sets Bayley down as they wave at Emma. He kicks his shoes off once Emma has left the room. "Surprised?"

"Yes." Bayley slides her arms around Roman's middle and lays her head on his chest. "But it's a very good surprise." She looks up at him and smiles. "I missed you."

Leaning down, he kisses her softly. "I missed you too, Baby." He slides his hands down her sides. "Come 'ere." He kisses her once again, this time with a little more force behind it.

Bayley sighs happily into the kiss, letting him take complete control. He moves his hands to her thighs and lifts her up once again. She giggles against his mouth when his fingers slide slowly over her bare thighs.

"Sorry," he whispers.

"It's okay." She pulls back and smiles at him. "Can I take your hair down?"

He nods. "Anything you want, Baby." He kisses her again as she slides a hand around to tug at his bun. He moans softly when she combs her fingers through his hair. He slides an arm around her waist and takes a step toward the bed.

"Do you have…?"

"Yeah, in my bag." He lets her slide off him before he turns and opens unzips the front of his bag. He's thankful that he actually remembered to stop at the store before flying down. He pulls the box out of the bag and rips it open. He grabs one of the condoms before walking over to where Bayley is sitting on the bed. He hands her the square package and tosses the box in the general direction of the nightstand. He'll worry about that later.

Bayley licks her lips as she looks up at Roman. "You won't laugh at me, will you?"

Roman frowns. "Why would I laugh at you?"

"Because I'm still so inexperienced."

"Maybe so, but there's nothing wrong with that." He watches as she slides her hands up his thighs and moves to his jeans.

"Can I?"

He nods slowly, letting her take this at her pace. She carefully undoes his jeans and pushes them over his hips. Reaching back, Roman pulls his shirt off, causing her to pull back quickly.

"Relax, it's okay."

"Sorry." She blushes before leaning in and kisses his stomach softly. She looks up to meet his gaze as she pulls his boxers down his legs. "Is this okay?"

Roman nods slowly. "Yes. Just remember to relax."

She nods as she wraps her fingers around his thickening cock. "Don't laugh at me."

"Never, Baby." He watches as she leans forward again, this time parting her lips enough to wrap around the head of his cock. It takes everything he has to not thrust forward. When she looks up at him again, he sucks in a deep breath. "Oh God, that's so sexy."

Bayley swirls her tongue around the tip of his cock a few times before she pushes down on him further. She closes her eyes, savoring his taste. For the first time since she's started being intimate with people, she is actually enjoying this part. She doesn't feel forced like she had regularly in the past. Roman seems content to let her take this at her own pace. He seems more than content, actually. He seems to be enjoying the pace she's set.

Roman reaches down, sliding his fingers into her hair. "So good, Baby." He drops his head back and lets out a soft moan. "Oh wow." He licks his lips as he looks down at her once again. "Back up for a second." He pushes her gently until she releases him.

"Am I doing it wrong?"

"No, not at all." He leans down and kisses her softly. "Just want you to get rid of some of these clothes." He tugs at her shirt, smiling when she shifts and lifts her arms. He pulls her shirt up over her head and tosses it away. That's when he realizes that she isn't wearing a bra. "Fuck me." He slides his hands down and cups her breasts. "So perfect."

Bayley reaches out and strokes Roman's cock. "You're so good to me." She smiles a little when he lets her pull him back toward her again. She sucks him back into her mouth, humming softly as she starts to bob her head.

Roman watches as she shifts slightly to push her shorts off. He can already tell how wet she is through her underwear. He moans when she pushes the material to the side and circles her fingers over her clit. "Oh, shit."

She looks up at him as best as she can. The way he looks at her makes her feel something she's never felt before. He curls his fingers in her hair as she holds down on him for a moment. He gasps as he comes, unable to warn her. She pulls off after he finishes and smiles up at him.

"Sorry," he says. "I didn't have time to warn you."

"It's okay." She pulls him down and kisses him softly. She slides her arms around him as he shifts to move them to the top of the bed. She arches up against him. "Please…"

Roman smiles against her lips. "Please what?" He bites down on her bottom lip. "Tell me what you want."

"You." She slides her hands up and down his back. "Want to feel you."

He gives her another soft kiss before sitting up. He pulls underwear off, flinching when he ultimately rips them. "Sorry."

She giggles. "It's okay." She pulls him back down and kisses him. "I have others."

He snorts. "Good thing." He shifts again to roll the condom over his cock. "Ready?"

She nods. "Yes." She rests her hands on Roman's biceps as he guides himself into her. She holds her breath when he stretches her.

"Breathe, Baby." He kisses the side of her mouth. "That's it." When he feels her relax around him, he starts moving slowly.

Bayley whimpers as she buries her face in Roman's neck. "Oh God."

"So good, Baby." Roman turns his head to capture her mouth in a heated kiss.

She arches up against him, practically whining against his mouth. She can't hold out much longer. She slides a hand up into his hair. He quickens his movements as she curls her fingers in his hair.

"Roman…" She gasps as she reaches her high. "Oh yes."

He pushes through one last time as she tightens on him before reaching his own release with a moan. He kisses her again, this time softer than the few previous. He moans as she slides her hands down his back. "I love you."

She pushes him up enough to look at him. "What?" She couldn't have heard him correctly, right? There's no way he just told her that he loves her.

He smiles before kissing her once again. "I love you," he repeats. "I am in love with you."

"But…"

He pulls up to meet her gaze. "But…?"

"I…" She licks her lips before she smiles shyly. "I love you too."


	15. Chapter 15

**I apologize for the delay. Things have been a bit crazy around here. Long story short, my dad's battling cancer right now, so updates may be spread out while we're dealing with all of his treatments.**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

Roman watches the monitor, frowning when Bayley is pinned. He can't help but be upset about the loss. He's watched her lose far too often over the last several weeks. Of course, she's putting on a brave face so she doesn't let anyone see her pain. Roman, however, can see right through it. He hears her when they're alone. She doesn't think he can hear or see her pain, but that's far from the truth. The worst part about it has been the stress that it's caused on their relationship.

He makes his way over to the steps when he sees her exiting the ring. He wants to be right there when she returns to the back. As he approaches, he can see her step through the curtain and make her way down the steps. It hurts him to see the forced smile on her face. He cups her face when she approaches him. She meets his gaze and forces yet another smile. He leans down and kisses her softly.

"We'll talk later," he says softly.

She nods. "Okay."

He kisses her again before taking a step back. "I need to go finish getting ready for my match."

"Yeah, of course." She nods again. "I'll see you after the show."

Roman sighs when she walks away without another word. He hates seeing her like this. She shouldn't have to fake a smile. And he shouldn't have to hide the fact that he knows it's fake. But he doesn't want to upset her anymore. Something has to change though. They can't continue on like this.

The show ends and before long Roman is ready to leave. He walks down to the Diva's locker room and knocks on the door. He can hear noise from inside before the door opens revealing Charlotte.

"Hey, Roman," Charlotte says.

Roman smiles a little. "Hey, Charlotte. Bayley ready?"

Charlotte frowns at him. "She left a little while ago."

"She what?" He lets out a soft breath. "Okay. Thanks."

"Hey, is everything okay? She doesn't seem like herself."

"I don't know. I'm going to find out though."

"Okay. If you need anything, let me know."

Roman pulls his phone out as he walks down the hall. He sighs when his call goes straight to Bayley's voicemail. "Bayley, it's me. I don't know what's going on, but we really need to talk. I'm on my way back to the hotel which I hope is where you are." He hangs up just as he walks outside.

"Roman!" fans start yelling.

Roman waves as he makes his way over to his rental. He shoves his bags into the trunk before walking over to sign a few autographs. "Thanks for coming to the show," he says as he steps. "Have a good night." He waves to the crowd before heading back to the car.

Once he gets back to the hotel, he grabs his bags and heads up to his room. He locks the door behind him before setting his bags to the side. He looks over at the bed to see Bayley leaning against the headboard.

"You didn't answer your phone," Roman says.

"I didn't feel like talking," Bayley responds.

"Hmm." He kicks his shoes off. "And now?"

"I don't wanna talk about any of it."

"Well, I think we need to."

"Why?"

"Because something is going on with you and I want to what."

"Nothing is going on. I'm fine."

"Bull shit." He crosses his arms over his chest and watches her closely. "So talk to me. We can't get past this if we don't talk to each other. What's going on?"

"Roman…"

"Do not tell me nothing is wrong. That's a fucking lie and you know it. You have been faking your smile for weeks now. And I want to know why. I want to know what's going on in that head of yours."

She looks down at her hands and lets out a heavy breath. "I am tired of everyone asking me if I'm okay. I'm tired of having to pretend that everything is fine."

"Then tell me what's going on." He watches her and can tell that she's fighting with herself. He knows she doesn't want to talk about it, but he can also see that she's about to break. "Talk to me, Baby."

"I haven't won a match in weeks." She sniffles. "I haven't won a match in weeks." She looks over at Roman. "Do you know what that's like? No, of course you don't. Because you're Roman Reigns. You are born and bred into this business."

"No, don't even try to pull that shit with me. Yes, my family is part of wrestling history. But I have worked my ass off to get to where I am at. Nothing has been handed to me. And yes, I do know what it's like losing match after match. Has it been as long as yours? No, but I do know the feeling."

"You don't. Because you've had that success, Roman." She wipes her eyes, hating herself for crying in front of him. "Look at what I have done. They brought me up to make things even. And then as soon as Emma gets the title, I'm done. I'm not needed anymore." She shrugs. "That's all there is to it."

"No, Bayley, that's not all there is. You are an amazing wrestler and they know that. They didn't call you to be Emma's partner for nothing. Right now, yes, you are in a rough patch. We have all been there."

She shakes her head. "It's different."

"How is it different?"

"Because tonight was my last night on Raw."

Roman frowns. "What are you talking about?"

"They're sending me back down to NXT."

He nods as he moves over to sit on the edge of the bed. "Okay. You'll still get to wrestle. And you'll be back up before you know it. It'll be you in line for the title."

"Face it, Roman. I'll never be there." She shakes her head. "And now we won't be traveling together."

"So? We'll make it work."

She looks at him. "No."

"No? Why not?" He watches as she climbs out of bed. "Bayley…"

"It's never going to work. So let's face that now before it goes too far."

"Damn it, Bayley…"

"Just stop!" She shrugs. "I just can't do it, Roman." She leans down and kisses him. "I'm sorry." She turns and walks toward the door.

"Bayley, don't do this."

"I just can't, Roman." She walks out, the door closely behind her with a soft thud.

"Bayley!"


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Roman walks into the room he's sharing with Dean not surprised to find Emma sitting with the other man. He gives them a small wave as he walks over to the empty corner. He sets his things down before taking a seat.

"Hey," Emma says as she walks over. She smiles sadly as he looks up at her. "How you holdin' up?"

He shrugs. "I'm here."

Emma squeezes his shoulder. "Have you heard from her?"

"No. I've called and texted. She won't call back. Have you talked to her?"

"Yeah. She'll come around, Roman."

He shrugs. "I just wanna get through the night and go home." It's the only thing in over a week that he's actually looking forward to. He'll get to be home and see his little girl. He stands up and lets out a heavy breath. "I'm gonna head down to the ring." He walks out before Emma can say anything else. He's tired of all the questions from everyone. If he could simply talk to Bayley again, maybe he'd have answers for them. As of now, he has nothing.

Once he gets out to the ring, he leans against the barricade and pulls his phone from his pocket. He's hoping to see a missed call or text from Bayley; though, he isn't surprised to find nothing from her. He lets out a heavy breath as he looks into the ring to see what's going on. However, he doesn't pay close attention to anything.

Somehow he manages to make it through the night. As soon as he's able to, he's leaving the arena and heading straight to the airport. There he sits and waits for his flight to be announced. All the while, he keeps checking his phone, hoping that he'll see something from her. It only makes him feel worse, however, when he sees nothing from her.

When he finally gets home, he takes a quick shower and climbs into bed. He wants to just stay here until he forgets everything. Of course, that'll never happen. He's never going to be able to forget Bayley. How could he?

At some point he actually manages to fall asleep. The next thing he knows is he's being woken up by the sound of his doorbell. He groans as he rolls over to look at the clock. Before he has a chance to do anything else, the doorbell is ringing again. He slips out of bed and makes his way downstairs. He's not too surprised to see his dad standing there.

"So you do still exist," Sika says with a smile.

"Here I am," Roman says. He steps to the side to let the older man in.

"You haven't been answering your mother's calls and she's worried."

Roman nods. "I was gonna call her today. I haven't been up for talking lately."

"So we figured. But it would be nice to know you're alive." Sika watches his son closely. "You can't hide, Roman."

"I know." He leads Sika into the kitchen and moves over to put on a pot of coffee. "How much do you know?"

"I know what your brother told us. She left. But that's all."

"That's all he knows." Roman crosses his arms over his chest as he leans against the counter. "She got sent back down to NXT and thinks we could never work."

"And you think you can?"

"I sure as hell wanna try." He lets out a heavy breath. "What do I do?"

"Well, that's really up to you, son. If you really want to be with her, then you will do whatever you need to do to get her back."

"But how? She won't answer when I call. She won't call back. She doesn't answer my texts. How do I make her listen to me? How do I make her understand that we can make this work?"

"You know where she lives, Roman. Go to her. After your few days here with Liliana, go to Bayley. Stay by her door as long as it takes."

"And if she doesn't let me in?"

"She will."

Roman pours them both some coffee. "I wish I had your optimism, Dad."

Sika smiles as he accepts the cup of coffee. "You just need to trust me."

"You never got the chance to meet her."

"But I will." Sika sips his coffee.

Roman smiles a little. "I hope so."

They spend a little while longer talking about everything that's been going on before Sika walks to the front door with Roman behind him. The older man turns and watches his son.

"Call your mother," Sika says.

Roman grins as he nods. "I will. Thanks for coming by."

"You're welcome. Figured you could use someone to talk to."

"Yeah, I definitely needed that."

"I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Dad."

"Call your mother."

Roman smiles as he watches Sika walk to his car. He waits until Sika pulls out of the driveway before stepping back and closing the door.

* * *

Roman walks into the living room and smiles at the sight of Liliana sitting on the couch. He sits down beside her. "What are we watching?" he asks.

"Little Mermaid."

"Good movie." He kisses the top of her head. "Wanna eat in here tonight?"

"Can we?"

"Absolutely. How about pizza?"

"Yes!" Liliana smiles up at him. "Daddy, when will we see Bayley again?"

Roman frowns at the question. He had known Liliana would ask about Bayley; he just never came up with something to tell her. "I don't know, sweetie." How is he supposed to tell her that Bayley may not be coming around again? "I don't know."

"I miss her."

"Me too, Liliana, me too." He kisses the top of her head once again. "You continue watching your movie. I'm going to go order dinner."

"Can we get breadsticks too?"

"Of course." He stands up and walks into the kitchen. As he makes the call to their favorite pizza place, he stands at the back door and stares out at the rain coming down. An evening like this would be perfect for a dinner and a movie, not only with Liliana but with Bayley as well. He lets out a heavy breath as he turns away. He needs to stop thinking about her; at least for now.

It's nearly an hour later when the doorbell is ringing. Roman chuckles at how excited Liliana gets. He stands up and walks to the front door. He smiles at the driver. "Hi."

"Hey," the kid says with a grin. "I just need you to sign the slip."

"Sure thing." Roman takes the pen from him and signs the bottom of the slip after adding a tip. "There you go."

"Thanks, man. Have a good night."

"You too." He takes the boxes from him.

The next couple hours, they continue watching movies and picking at their dinners. When Brave ends, Roman is ready to ask Liliana if she wants to watch another movie. He stops himself when he sees that she's asleep. He doesn't take long to get her upstairs and into bed.

"Goodnight, Princess." He kisses her forehead before walking out of the bedroom, closing the door slightly as he goes.

As he sits down in the living room once again, he grabs his phone, frowning at the sight of a missed call. He quickly looks to see who had called. _Bayley…_ Roman licks his lips as he calls his voicemail.

"Hey, Roman. I um… I think we should talk. Soon. I um... call me."

Roman frowns as he deletes the message. There's something wrong and he isn't sure what to expect. He quickly calls Bayley back, hoping she'll actually answer.

"Hey," Bayley answers.

His heart sinks at the sound of her voice. "Hey," he says softly. "You've been crying."

"Yeah." She sniffles, trying to stop herself from crying while she's talking to him. "Do you have time to talk?"

"Yeah. I just put Liliana to bed."

"Can I come over?"

His frown deepens. "You're here?"

"Yes. I um… thought it would be better if we talked in person."

"Okay. Come on over."

"Okay. I'll be there shortly."

Roman looks over from his seat when he hears the front door close a short time later. He stands the moment he sees Bayley. What he wouldn't give to pull her into his arms. "Hey."

Bayley smiles sadly. "Hi. Sorry for just showing up like this."

"No, don't apologize. I'm actually glad you're here. I was actually going to be heading to Orlando to see you. I just…"

"I think I'm pregnant."

Roman stops and stares at her. Did he hear her correctly? "You what?" He watches her closely.

"I'm late and I haven't been late since I was in high school."

"Okay." He nods and he rubs the back of his neck. "So, then we find out." He watches as she pulls a small box out of her purse. "You came prepared."

She nods. "I couldn't do it alone."

"I wouldn't want you to." He approaches her slowly. "We're in this together. Come on, we can go up to my room."

Roman sits down on edge of the bed as Bayley closes the bathroom door behind her. He takes a deep breath, unsure of how to feel right now. He's glad Bayley came to him about this and wanted him to be involved in this process. The bathroom door opens a minute later. Bayley walks over and sits down beside Roman.

"How long?" Roman asks.

"Five minutes." She wipes her eyes.

"Hey, it's going to be okay." He rests his hand on her thigh, hoping she won't push him away. He knows that she really needs more than this, but he also knows that he doesn't to overstep his boundaries.

She rests her head on his shoulder and takes a shaky breath. "I never thought this would happen."

"Well, here we are. Let's just wait and see what happens. I'm here, Bayley, no matter what." He kisses the top of her head. "Everything is going to be okay."

Bayley stands up after a few more minutes. "Here it goes." She walks into the bathroom.

Roman stands up when she walks back out, holding the test. "Well?"

"It's negative. I'm not pregnant."

He nods. "Okay." He goes to say more but she disappears into the bathroom again. He follows and leans against the door jam. "We'll be more careful from now on."

She looks at him. "Roman…"

He shakes his head. "You didn't give me a chance to tell you how I feel about you leaving, Bayley. If you think I'm letting you go that easily, then you have another thing coming. I love you and I want to be with you. I'm telling you right now that I will do whatever it takes to make this work."

"I won't be traveling with you anymore."

"I don't care. You will again. And quite frankly, you are more important to me than the damn ring. If I have to, I'll fucking quit. I want you, Bayley."

She stares at him. "But…"

"Because I love you. You make me want to be more than I am. You make me want to be a better man. This past week has been hell. If it wasn't for having Liliana, I wouldn't even be getting out of bed. I need you in my life."

"You really think we can make this work? With the way you travel and I'm in Orlando."

"We will figure it out. Just… don't give up on us." He approaches her and rests his hands on her cheeks. "I know you don't want to leave me."

Bayley closes her eyes as more tears fall. "I'm just so scared."

Roman pulls her into his arms and holds her tight. "It's okay."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

The next couple months are spent with mainly phone calls and texts. They have come up with a few minutes to at least skype each other. And they've both come to visit the other when schedules allowed it. Of course, it isn't as much as they would like, but at least it's something. Roman is just thankful that Bayley is giving them a chance. He knows they can make it work. He can remember the look on Liliana's face when she saw Bayley that following morning. The young girl had been so excited to see Bayley.

As he's walking into his hotel room, his phone starts ringing. He groans as he drops his things and grabs his phone from his pocket. He raises an eyebrow when he sees a number flashing. It's a number he doesn't recognize, which is unusual. "Hello?" he answers.

"Hi, Roman?"

Roman frowns as he sits down on the end of the bed. "Who's asking?"

"Sasha… Sasha Banks."

Sasha Banks? Why would she be calling him? "Um… Yeah, it's Roman. Is everything okay? Is Bayley okay?"

Sasha laughs a little. "Bayley is fine. Bayley is perfect actually. Look, she doesn't know I'm calling you and will probably kill me when she finds out. But I think it's the right thing to do. I don't know if she's told you about her match coming up or not?"

"She mentioned that's she's wrestling at the next Take Over, but never said against who. I've been so busy that I haven't had much time to look at everything. Horrible boyfriend I suppose."

"Not at all. You'd rather spend your free time talking to the girlfriend, not to mention your daughter. Anyways, the match is against me."

"Yeah? Well, that'll be a great match. I've seen you two fight before."

"There's more. It's for the Women's Championship."

Roman lets out a soft breath. Why didn't Bayley say anything about that? "She didn't mention that either."

"Doesn't surprise me. She keeps saying that she doesn't want to bother you with anything."

"She's crazy."

"So I've told her. Take Over is gonna be in Brooklyn the night before WWE's pay per view."

"I'll be there."

"That's what I figured you'd say. She'll kill me, but I think this is what she needs."

"I agree. This relationship is about the both of us. I love hearing about her matches. I wish she'd realize that."

"She will. You just need to keep reminding her."

"Yeah, I will. Thanks for calling, Sasha."

"You're welcome."

Roman hangs up and sets his phone to the side. He hates that Bayley still won't talk about a lot of things with her career with him. He hopes that will change over time. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

* * *

Roman leans against the wall as he watches Bayley's match. He's watched Bayley and Sasha in matches before. However, this one seems to be so much more. They're both pushing harder than they ever had before. Roman sucks in a deep breath when Bayley hits her Bayley to Belly Suplex, nearly groaning when Sasha kicks out. He hadn't found out the outcome of the match. By the looks of it, a lot of those around him don't know either; at least he isn't alone.

When Bayley hits another Bayley to Bell, this time from the second rope, Roman can't help but cover his mouth in an almost nervous manner. He watches the three count. It isn't until the bell rings that he gives a little celebration.

"Your winner and new NXT Women's Champion, Bayley."

Roman smiles as he watches the scene in the ring with the other three Divas, the Four Horsewomen. He makes his way over to where he knows Bayley will be coming back. He stays back so she can celebrate with the some of the other NXT stars that have gathered around. He can't stop his smile when he sees her come through the curtain. She smiles and hugs people as she walks through. When she sees him, her smile fades slightly.

"Roman," she says. Just as quickly, her smile brightens. She jumps into his arms and buries her face in his neck.

Roman lifts her with ease, holding her close. "I'm so proud of you." He kisses the side of her head. "So proud, Baby."

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"Then this wouldn't be a surprise." He pulls back enough to kiss her softly. "You should have told me about this match."

"I didn't want to bother you."

"You have to stop with that." He sets her down and looks at her. "Baby, we're in this together."

She nods. "I know. I'm sorry." She smiles and wipes her eyes. "It happened."

"I know!" He kisses her again. "You were amazing out there. I'm so proud of you."

"Sasha called you, didn't she?"

"Yeah. I'm glad she did."

Bayley nods. "Me too. I should have told you about it. I should have been the one to call you and tell you about it. And tell you that I wanted you to be here. I'm so glad you're here."

Roman smiles as he rubs her sides. "Go on. I know you have things to do. We'll celebrate later." He kisses her.

"Promise?"

"You better believe it." He kisses her one last time before taking a step back. "Go before I can't let you." He smiles as he watches her walk away. She's absolutely amazing. It's no wonder he can never get enough of her.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Roman looks over when the hotel room door opens. He smiles at the sight of Bayley walking in. He walks over and takes her bag from her. "Hey," he says giving her a quick kiss. "How'd everything go?"

"It was crazy," Bayley answers as she kicks her shoes off. "It was crazy. But oh my God. So amazing." She smiles at Roman. "Thank you for being there."

"You're welcome." He sets her bag to the side before pulling her into his arms. "You did amazing. I'm so proud of you."

"Did you know?"

"No, no one told me what was gonna happen." He kisses her forehead when she tries to stifle a yawn. "You're exhausted."

"It's been a long day." She slides her arms around his waist. "I'm glad I get to end it with you. And I know you would've been here no matter what. But it's something special knowing that you were there tonight. Don't start laughing at me."

"Never. I wouldn't laugh at you." He lifts her face and kisses her softly. "I'm so proud of you." He kisses her again. "You go get changed. I'll get the bed ready."

She smiles up at him. "You're too good to me."

He kisses her one last time before stepping back. "Never. Go on."

After pulling the blankets down, Roman changes into his shorts. He looks over when Bayley walks out of the bathroom and smiles at her. She walks over, sliding her arms around his waist.

"Off to bed you go," he says before kissing her forehead. "You are beyond exhausted."

"I am," she mumbles. She lets him walk them over to the bed. "You coming to bed too?"

"Of course." He climbs in behind Bayley and grabs hold of the sheet. After turning the light off, he settles in and wraps his arm around her waist. He kisses her bare shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

Roman climbs out of bed the next morning, being careful not to wake Bayley. He smiles down at the sleeping woman before heading into the bathroom. If it weren't for having to prepare for tonight, he would definitely still be in bed. He'd give anything to continue holding Bayley. But he has to get his day started. He needs to focus on the task at hand. Maybe he'll be able to spend time with Bayley before she heads back to Orlando.

He walks out of the bathroom a few minutes later and grabs his shoes so he can head down to the gym. He glances over at Bayley, smiling at the sight of her still asleep. He sits down on the edge of the bed after getting his shows on. Leaning down, he kisses her forehead, hoping he doesn't wake her in the process.

"Where are you going?" Bayley asks.

Roman looks down at her. "I didn't mean to wake you," he says.

"You didn't, really." She rolls onto her back and pushes her hair off her face. "Where are you going?"

"Down to the gym." He leans down and kisses her softly. "When do you go back to Orlando?"

"I don't have to be back until Wednesday."

"So you can stay?"

She smiles at him. "I will if you want me here."

"Baby, of course I want you here."

"Then I'll stay." She pulls him down into another kiss. "Do you have to go to the gym now?"

He smiles against her mouth. "I think I can push it back a little." Reaching down, he pushes his shoes off. "As long as you're thinking the same thing I am."

"Obviously." She shrieks and giggles when Roman rolls them over so she's now on top of him. She shifts enough to straddle over him and rests her hands on his chest. "Do I get whatever I want?"

"Pretty sure that can be arranged." He rubs her thighs, pushing his hands up under her shorts as he does. "What did you have in mind?"

Leaning down, Bayley kisses the side of Roman's neck just under his ear. "I want you." She pulls his earlobe between her teeth. "Just like this."

"Mmmm… yeah, that can definitely be arranged." Just as he's about to pull her shirt off, there's a knock at the door. "Fuck…"

"Ignore it." Bayley kisses him.

"I can't." Roman rubs her sides. "It's Dean. I'm supposed to meet him down at the gym."

Bayley pouts at him. "I'll take care of it." She climbs off the bed and walks over to the door. She smiles at Dean when she pulls the door open. "Good morning."

"Morning, champ. He okay?"

"Well, yes. He's going to be late to the gym though." She smiles wider. "Bye." She closes the door before walking back to the bed where she finds Roman laughing.

"I'm never gonna hear the end of this."

"Good." She strips down to her underwear before climbing back onto the bed. She moves to straddle over Roman once again.

He immediately leans up to meet her mouth in a searing kiss. He slides a hand up her smooth back as he feels her pulling at his shirt. They pull apart long enough for her to drag it over his head and toss it to the side. He reaches over to the nightstand where the box of condoms are laying. Bayley shifts enough so they can both finish stripping. The moment they have, she pushes him to lie back and takes the wrapper from him. She scoots down and carefully rolls the sheath over his cock.

Roman moans as he watches her closely. This is the first time that she's taken control like this; it's something he wants to see more of. Licking his lips, he watches as she lifts herself up. She grasps him, guiding him to her opening as she sinks down on him.

"Oh…" Bayley whimpers as she settles on him. She rests her hands on his chest as she adjusts to him.

"You okay?" He rubs her arms.

"Yes." She leans down and kisses him. "Just have to adjust to you."

He slides his hands to her back as she starts to rock on him slowly. She pushes up to look down at him as she starts moving more. He shifts so he can thrust up, meeting each of her rocks.

"So good, Baby." He tugs her down to kiss her. "I love you."

"I love you too." She curls her fingers into his hair. "Oh God. Roman…" She gasps as she comes.

Roman holds her down on him as he reaches his own release. "Bayley." He kisses her once again. He rubs her back as she collapses on top of him after lifting up enough for him to slip out of her.

"Wow," she mumbles into his neck.

Bayley follows Roman to the door a short time later. She smiles when he looks down at her. "Have a good work out."

"I think that's gonna be my cool down." He kisses her softly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"See you in a little while."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

Roman closes the small box after seeing that it's exactly what he wants. He smiles at the worker. "It's perfect," he says. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. You're all set. Good luck."

Roman smiles. "Thanks." He walks outside and pockets the small box. This is something that he never imagine would be happening, at least not yet. But how couldn't he want it? Sure, it's only been eight months, but when you know it's right, why wait? He climbs behind the wheel of his car and lets out a soft breath. Eight months. He can't believe it. He smiles at the thought.

Once he gets back to his house, he makes his way inside. He walks into the kitchen, smiling at the sight of Bayley standing at the stove. "Hey, you," he says sliding his arms around her from behind. He kisses the side of her neck. "I didn't think you were gonna be here yet."

Bayley leans back into his hold. "I got an earlier start out than I originally thought. Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." He turns her head and kisses her softly. "I'd love it if you could be here all the time." He kisses her again, this time with a little more force. What he wouldn't give to be able to kiss her all the time.

"Roman." She pushes at him. "You're going to make me burn dinner." She smiles when he kisses her again. She drops the spoon to the counter and turns around in his arms. As he pulls her even closer to him, she slides her arms around his neck. She whimpers when he lifts her up with ease.

He moves them over to the counter, setting her down, but never breaks the kiss. She moves her hands to his hair, curling her fingers around the dark locks. After another moment, Roman finally pulls back but stays close. He licks his lips as he meets Bayley's gaze.

"Can we forget about dinner right now?" he asks softly.

She nods as she pulls him back in for another heated kiss. She moans as he slips a hand under her shirt. "Wait." She pushes him back. "Wait." She smiles at the disappointed look on his face. "Sad boy." She tugs on his hair gently. "We just need to turn the burners off."

He nods. "Don't move." He moves over to quickly turn the burners off and moves the pans to the back. The moment he's standing in front of her once again, his mouth is covering hers.

"Take me, Roman."

It's all he needs to hear to pull her off the countertop and makes his way upstairs. He kicks the door closed behind them the moment he walks into his bedroom.

Roman shifts so he's now laying between Bayley's legs with his face near her stomach. He drops his forehead to her stomach and lets out a soft breath. When he feels her hands in his hair, he can't help but smile. He lifts his head again and looks up at her.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"Just loving you," he answers softly. "I love being close to you like this." He shrugs a little, knowing how ridiculous it sounds. He can't help it, however. Not when it comes to Bayley. The things he would do and the things he would give up for her amazes him. It should scare him, but it doesn't.

"You look like you have something on your mind."

"Maybe I do."

"Something you want to talk about?"

"Do you love me?"

Bayley frowns at him. "What kind of question is that? Of course I love you. Roman, what's going on?"

"And you know I love you, right?"

"I know you do. Roman… you're scaring me."

He grins. "There's no reason to be scared. Not for you anyways. I'm the one who should be scared, or at least worried." He lets out a soft breath as he drops his forehead to her stomach again. "God, this is not how I imagined doing this."

"Doing what?"

He looks at her again after a moment. "I know things are crazy right now. And I know with our schedules things will be crazy for quite some time. But I also know that I love you and I want to be with you. Things won't always be crazy. And even if they are, at least I have you." He slides a hand up and links his fingers through hers. "Will you marry me?"

Bayley opens her mouth to say something but just as quickly closes it. She definitely hadn't expected that question. Is she ready for that step? She licks her lips as she watches Roman. He's perfect. He's everything she could ever want and more. So why wouldn't she be ready? "Are you serious?" she asks.

Roman grins as he nods. "Yes I'm serious. Marry me."

She nods slowly. "Yes." She smiles. "Yes, I'll marry you." She watches as he moves and leans over the side of the bed. "What are you doing?" She sees him pull something from his jeans. "Roman…" She gasps when he opens the ring box, revealing the diamond ring. "Oh my…"

"This wasn't how I had planned on asking you. But…" He shrugs. "I couldn't wait any longer." He pulls the ring from the box and slips it onto her finger. "I love you."

"I love you too." She rests her hands on his cheeks when he slides up and pulls him down for a soft kiss. "You really want to marry me?"

He chuckles as he pulls back enough to look down at her. "Of course I do." He kisses her again. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

She smiles against his mouth. "Good, because I don't plan on letting you go."


	20. Chapter 20

**I apologize for the delay in updates! I've been dealing with some personal issues. I'm hoping to be back with more updates soon. On a side note for this story, it will be coming to an end in the not too distant future. I'll try to give you a warning when the time comes, but I can't promise anything. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

Bayley follows Roman into the arena. Lucky for her the main roster was in Orlando, which means she gets to be there with Roman and the others. It's also the first time she's going to see Emma since Roman proposed. How she managed to keep her mouth shut she has no clue. But she wanted to tell Emma in person. She has to wonder if Roman had told Dean. She wrinkles her nose at the thought. Do guys talk like that the way girls do?

"What's up, Babe?" Roman asks. "You look like you have something on your mind."

Bayley shrugs a little. "Did you tell Dean?"

"Nope. I knew you wanted to tell Emma in person. He'd blab to her simply because he can't keep anything from her."

She grins as she slips her arm through Roman's. "Yeah, she does have a hold on him like that. As soon as I see her I'll tell her."

Roman nods. "Whenever you want." He kisses the side of her head as they approach his locker room. "Here we are." He knocks on the door before pushing it open. "Hey," he says when he sees Dean and Emma.

Dean gives a quick wave. "Hey," he responds. "Was beginning to think that you weren't gonna show up."

Roman snorts. "Like I would miss a chance at kicking Seth's ass." He sets his bags to the side before sitting down. He watches Bayley and can't help but smile. "So what's going on around here?"

"You're looking at it. Emma's been babbling for the last ten minutes."

Emma smacks Dean's arm. "I have not. You just aren't listening to me so you just think I'm babbling." She looks over at Bayley. "I haven't seen you since you won!" She stands up and moves over to hug her best friend.

Bayley smiles as she returns the hug. "I wish you could've been there. But it was amazing." She pulls back and her smile widens. "I have more news though."

"More news? Tell me!" Emma bounces a little. "What's up?"

Bayley holds her left hand up, showing Emma the engagement ring. "We're engaged."

Emma squeals as she pulls Bayley's hand closer to get a better look at the ring. "Oh my God! That's amazing. I'm so happy for you." She hugs Bayley once again. "Congratulations."

"Thank you."

Dean stands up and steps over to Roman. "Congrats, man." He shakes the other man's hand.

"Thanks," Roman says with a smile.

Emma walks over and hugs Roman. "Congratulations."

"Thank you."

Bayley smiles when Dean turns toward her. "What?" she asks.

Dean gives her a quick hug. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." She smiles up at him. "Did you know?"

"I knew he was looking for a ring. I hadn't heard anything after that." He taps Bayley's chin. "I'm happy for you."

"Thank you."

Roman slides his arm around Bayley when she returns to his side. "I wasn't sure when I was gonna actually ask her. Which is why you didn't know anymore, Dean."

"No problem." He shrugs. "I knew it would be coming at some point."

Bayley and Emma walk down the hall a short time later, heading toward catering. Bayley glances over at Emma. "You look like something's bothering you."

Emma shrugs. "I just don't want Dean to think I'm looking for him to propose now. I mean, yes, I would love to marry him someday. But… when it's time."

Bayley nods. "He'll likely have some questions. The big one being that you two have been together quite a bit longer than Roman and I have been. But he also loves you, Emma."

"I know he does. I don't doubt that. I just don't want him to propose to me now because Roman proposed to you."

"Honestly, I don't think he would do something like that. If he asks you it's because he wants to."

Emma smiles. "You're probably right." She shrugs. "No, I know you're right."

"Of course I am."

* * *

Roman looks over at Dean, not surprised that the other man hasn't said a whole let since the girls left. "What's up?" he asks.

Dean looks over and shrugs. "Just trying to think about what I'm doing," he says.

"Meaning what?" Roman raises an eyebrow. "Dean…"

"I've been with Emma for how long? I haven't even thought about asking her to marry me. What kind of boyfriend am I?"

"Dean, that doesn't make you a bad boyfriend." He sits down and watches the other man closely. "Do you want to marry her?"

Dean shrugs. "I don't know. I know I want to be with her. I just don't know about the whole marriage thing. The thought actually scares me. I'm not against marriage. I mean, I'm thrilled for you and Bayley. But for me…" He shrugs. "…I just don't know if it's in the cards for me."

Roman nods. "Talk to her, man. You need to. You can't pull away. If you pull away, you know you'll end up losing her."

Dean sighs. "I will. I don't want to lose her. I just… don't want her to leave because of it."

"If she really loves you, which I'm pretty sure she does, you don't have anything to worry about. She's not going anywhere."

"Hope you're right. Okay, enough. I don't want to talk about this."

Roman chuckles. He's actually surprised Dean let the conversation go on as long as it had. "Okay. Come on, let's go down to catering."

"Right behind you."

Once they reach catering, they head over to where the girls are sitting. Roman kisses the top of Bayley's head as he sits down. He laughs a little when he sees her blush. From the start, a simple gesture like kissing her head has brought a blush to her cheeks.

Emma looks at Dean as he sits down beside her. "You better not ask me to marry you. Not now, anyways."

Dean smirks. "Noted."

Bayley giggles at her best friend's bluntness. She looks at Roman when he slides his arm around her shoulders. "So what's on the schedule for tonight?"

"The damn Wyatt family," Roman says with a smile.

"I heard that," they hear Bray call from the table behind them.

Roman snorts. "Good." He looks at Bayley. "I'm glad you were able to come tonight."

"I wouldn't have missed it," she says as she leans against him.

"So when do you win a title?" Emma asks looking at Roman.

"Don't ask me. Ask the damn bosses." He shrugs. "Hopefully before I retire."

Bayley frowns at him. He may not say anything to anyone, but she does know that he's bothered by the fact that he hasn't gotten his shot yet. She leans over and kisses his cheek. "Your time is coming. And when it does come, I'll be right there."

He smiles at her. "I look forward to that day." He leans over and kisses her softly.

She smiles against his mouth. "Me too."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Roman slides his arm around Bayley's waist from behind when they reach their hotel room door. Leaning down, he kisses the side of her neck. He smiles when Bayley giggles and tightens his grip around her. As Bayley digs through her bag, Roman kisses her neck once again.

"You aren't making this easy," Bayley mutters.

Roman chuckles. "No?" He tugs her back against him, letting her feel his bulge against her lower back. "How 'bout now?" This woman is driving him crazy. He can't believe how turned on he is right now.

"Roman…" She finally finds the key to the room. "Can you at least wait until we get into the room?"

"What fun is that?" He turns her around and smiles down at her. "Something tells me you don't want to wait either."

She licks her lips as she rests a hand on his chest. "And you only have yourself to blame for that." She lifts up onto his tip toes and kisses Roman. She slides her arm around his neck, whimpering when he lifts her off her feet with ease. He pulls the key front her free hand and reaches behind her to unlock the door.

He barely manages to get their bags pushed into the room before slamming the door behind them. Bayley wraps her legs around him as he makes his way toward the bed. It doesn't take them long to strip out of their clothes. If Roman had it his way, he would have simply torn Bayley's clothes off. Lucky for him, Bayley was being the sensible one. He moves them to the middle of the bed, grabbing a condom from the nightstand as he goes.

Bayley gasps as he pushes into her slowly. Roman turns his head and kisses her softly. He slides her left arm over her head and links their fingers together. With her free hand, Bayley slides her hand up Roman's back. She curls her fingers, digging her nails lightly into his back as he moves a bit faster.

"I love you, Roman," she says.

"I love you too, Bayley." He kisses her again. "Love you so much."

She arches up against him, practically begging him for more. This man is definitely everything she could ever want. He knows exactly how to make her feel everything imaginable. She slides her hand up, curling her fingers into his hair. "Oh yes."

"Let go, Baby."

She whimpers at the soft command. She pushes up against him as she reaches her release. "Roman…"

He covers her mouth once again as he thrusts in one last time before he reaches his own release. He lets go of her other hand, not surprised when she wraps her arms around him. He slips out of her but never breaks their kiss.

* * *

Bayley watches Roman as he gets his things ready to head to the arena. "Where do you wanna get married?" she asks.

Roman glances over as he lifts his bag onto the bed. "Wherever you want to."

"Roman, that doesn't help me."

"Well, I don't know what you want me to say. If you want to get married out in San Jose, then we'll go there. If you want to get married in Pensacola, then we'll go there. If you want to get married in Orlando, we'll go there. If you want to go somewhere else to married, that's what we'll do." He zips his bag. "Tell you what, during the down time tonight, we'll sit and start talking about it all. What do you think?"

She nods. "Okay. I want to do this together."

"So do I."

"And I don't want something super big. I know you have a big family. But that's different. I don't want something that neither of us can afford. I want something simple. But not like boring simple."

He grins. "We'll figure it all out." He leans over and kisses her. "You ready?"

She nods as she climbs off the bed. "I'm ready." She slips into her shoes before taking her bag. She isn't surprised by the look Roman gives her. "You have your own bags."

"Stubborn woman."

"And don't you forget it." She leans up and gives him a quick kiss. "But you love me anyways."

"And don't you forget it." He winks at her. "Come on."

Bayley sits down beside Roman once they arrive at catering. She pulls her tablet out of her purse, setting it on the table. Roman watches as she opens the case. He loves how excited she is about the wedding planning. It makes him that much more excited about it.

"So what are you thinking?" he asks. "Any ideas?"

She looks at him. "What would you think about doing a destination wedding?"

He nods. "I'd be good with that. I think it may work better that way seen as we're from two different places. That way whoever we invite would have to travel."

She laughs softly. "You're so weird." She pulls up a site that she had been looking at earlier. "What about here?" She turns the tablet so Roman can see what she's looking at.

"Tutuila." He looks at her quickly. "American Samoa?"

She nods slowly. "It was just a thought." She shrugs. "We don't…" She squeaks when Roman covers her mouth with his own, cutting her off mid-sentence. Reaching up, she rests her hand on his cheek.

"Get a room," Dean says plopping down across from them.

Roman pulls back and clears his throat. "Sorry," he says. He smiles at Bayley. "No, I'm really not sorry." He leans over, kissing her once again; only this time he does so softly. "I think that's a great idea."

Bayley blushes slightly. "Yeah?"

He nods. "Absolutely."

"What are you two talking about?" Emma asks as she takes a seat beside Dean.

"The wedding," Bayley answers. "We're just getting started, so don't go freaking out."

"Like I would do that. So where are you getting married? Seen as you're from two different places."

Roman nods. "That's something we were in the middle of talking about," he says. "I think right now we're gonna stay quiet on that. At least until we make sure we can do what we want."

Bayley smiles at him. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea. But you two will be the first to know."

"Looking forward to it," Dean says with a smile.

Bayley slides her arm through Roman's and rests her cheek on his bicep. She can't believe they're actually getting started with the planning. Every little girl dreams of her wedding, but now Bayley actually gets to plan hers. She can't help but smile as she thinks about everything they'll be figuring out. Her dream wedding is actually going to happen. She just never thought it would happen with someone as perfect as Roman.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note:** After this, there is only one...maybe two...more chapters. It'll depend on how things go in the next chapter on whether or not that is the final one or not. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Bayley steps in front of the mirror and takes a deep breath. She can't believe she's actually doing this. This is really it. She smiles when Emma steps up beside her. "This one," Bayley says softly.

"I think it's beautiful," Emma replies. "You're beautiful. And you shine in that dress." She claps her hands. "I'm so excited."

Bayley turns to Emma. "Is this really happening?"

"It is really happening. You are saying yes to your dress. I am saying if you don't let me wear this one we are going to have an issue." Emma twirls in her pale orange dress.

"You will be wearing that one." Bayley turns back toward the mirror. "Think Roman will like this one?"

"Roman will love that one. He'd have to be blind not to."

They both change and make their way up to the registers. Bayley had wanted something simple. She didn't want to have a big extravagant wedding. She knows that Roman's family is big; but she just didn't want to do the large ceremony or anything like that.

Bayley closes the trunk of the car after they lay their garment bags in. She walks around the car and climbs behind the wheel as Emma slides into the passenger seat. "All right, let's call the boys and meet them for dinner."

Emma pulls her phone out. "I'll call Dean."

After getting to the Hibachi Grill, they girls walk inside and see the guys standing to the side. Bayley smiles as she approaches Roman. Roman smirks as he slides his arm around her shoulders and kisses the top of her head.

"How'd it go?" he asks.

"It went great," Bayley answers. "We both found our dresses." She smiles up at him. "Sure you're okay with just having one person?"

"Yes. I told you that I didn't want anything big either."

They follow the hostess to their table around one of the grills. Bayley smiles when Roman pulls out a chair for her. It still surprises her how amazing this man is. She's never been treated like this before. She settles into her seat as Roman sits down beside her.

After they finish dinner, they all walk outside. Roman keeps his arm around Bayley as they stop. They talk for another minute before going their separate ways. It had to take both Bayley and Emma to talk the guys into keeping the same driving arrangements. While Bayley may not want to do everything traditional with their wedding, she does want to wait until that day for Roman to see her dress.

* * *

Roman walks into the kitchen to find Bayley and Emma sitting at the counter filling out envelopes. He kisses Bayley's cheek as he passes. "What are those?" he asks.

"Invitations," Bayley answers. She glances over at Roman. "Figured it'd be a good idea to get them out today."

He nods. "Probably a good idea." He winks at her. "Need any more help?"

"No, we've got it." She smiles at him. "Thank you though."

"No problem. Let me know when you're finished. I'll get them mailed out. Least I can do seen as you took care of this part."

"Okay. That I can let you do."

"Good." He watches as Bayley puts another envelope on the pile. "I'll be in the living room then. Yell when I'm needed." He kisses Bayley's cheek once again before walking out of the room. He sits down on the couch. "They're finishing up the invitations."

"Yeah?" Dean asks. He wrinkles his nose. "Sounds boring."

Roman chuckles. "They seem to be enjoying it. Told them that I would mail them out. Figured that would be a good time to actually find our clothes."

"What are the options?"

"Anything pretty much. No jeans. I have a sample of the color of Emma's dress to work with, so that'll help a lot."

"No suits?"

"No. Bayley and I didn't want to go that extravagant. So slacks and a dress shirt. Besides, the wedding is outside in Pago Pago."

Dean nods. "How many people did you invite?"

"Umm… I wanna say fifty." He shrugs. "Something like that."

"You gonna get killed by the family for not having all of them there?"

Roman laughs. "No. We talked with Dad and came up with a who should actually be there. So we went with that. We figured with everyone else, they'll get to see the pictures and stuff at family gatherings. You know my family."

"Indeed I do."

Roman looks over at the sound of footsteps. He smiles when he sees the girls walk in. "All done?" he asks.

"Yes," Bayley answers as she sets the shoe box on the coffee table. "That's everything."

"All right. Then we will go get them sent out." He stands up and slides his arms around Bayley. "It's right around the corner."

Bayley beams up at him. "It is." She pulls him down and kisses him. "Are you two going to go find your clothes while you're out?"

"Yes." He kisses her softly. "Figured it was a good time."

"Yeah, I'd say so." She smiles against his mouth. "Go."

"Going." Instead of stepping back, however, he kisses her once again. He laughs a little when she pushes at him. "All right, I'm going." He grabs the box of invitations. "We'll see you two later."


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note:** This is it! It has finally come to an end! I hope you have all enjoyed it as much as I have. :)

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

The day is finally here. Bayley is still amazed that they're really here. She looks out the hotel room window and beams. The sun is already shining. Today is going to be perfect, she can feel it. Turning away from the window, she sees Emma walk out of the bathroom.

"Hey," Emma says with a bright smile. "You ready for today?"

Bayley nods. "I am," she answers. "I'm nervous too."

"I'd be worried if you weren't." Emma smiles at her. "It's going to be amazing. You are going to be a beautiful bride and he's not going to know what hit him."

Bayley blushes. "He's amazing."

"I know he is. So are you." Emma claps her hands. "Okay, let's get started. Let's have some breakfast."

Bayley is surprised at how well the morning goes. Before long, they're sitting having their hair done. Just as quickly, they're returning to the hotel room to begin dressing for ceremony. Bayley turns around once her dress is on for Emma to zip up. She smooths her hands down the front of her dress as she moves to take a look in the mirror.

"Absolutely beautiful," Emma says.

"I never imagined myself wearing a strapless dress," Bayley admits. "I'm so glad I chose this one though."

"Me too."

Bayley takes a deep breath as she follows Emma out of the room. They both follow the couple of employees that they've been working with the entire week. Elei and Natia have both been amazing. They've made everything as simple as possible for everyone involved. As they reach the area where the ceremony is being held, Bayley can see Roman standing at the front.

"We're here," Emma says.

Bayley nods. "What if he changes his mind?"

"He's not going to. Look at him up there."

She does and isn't able to hold back her smile. In just the matter of time she's going to be a married woman. She's going to be Mrs. Reigns. Her heart flutters at that thought. It's an amazing feeling.

"You got this," Emma says. "He loves you."

Bayley moves to the end of the short aisle, smiling at her father who's waiting for her. She slips her arm through his as the guests stand. As they begin their short walk down the aisle, she meets Roman's eyes and she knows that this is exactly where she's supposed to be. She can see the tears shining in his eyes and the soft smile he's giving her.

Roman holds her hand as the ceremony begins. He doesn't pay much attention to what's being said; instead, he's watching Bayley closely. This is the life he's always wanted. This is how everything was always supposed to be. She's going to be his wife. He's going to be her husband. This is really it.

Bayley slips the wedding band onto Roman's finger as she repeats the vows; though the entire time her voice is cracking. Roman repeats Bayley's vows as he slips the band on her finger. He smiles down at her as the ceremony comes to an end.

"You may kiss your bride."

Leaning down, Roman kisses her softly. Bayley smiles against his mouth as she hears them being announced as Mr. and Mrs. Roman Reigns.

* * *

Roman rests his arm on the back of Bayley's chair after he finishes his dinner. He looks around at all of their guests chatting and having a good time. This is everything he imagined and more. He glances over to where Liliana is sitting with his and Bayley's parents. She's so happy. She barely slept last night because she had been so excited about today. He smiles at how happy she is. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't been worried about how Liliana would take the marriage. But from the very beginning she adored Bayley.

Bayley looks over at him and smiles. "What are you thinking about?" she asks.

Roman looks at her. "How lucky I am," he answers. He leans over and presses a soft kiss to her mouth. "I'm a lucky man."

"I'm a lucky woman." She rests her hand on his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you." He kisses her again before sitting back. He sees both Dean and Emma stand up. He frowns a little knowing what's coming. They have no idea what the two of them have planned to say.

"First of all, we'd like to thank everyone who traveled here for this special occasion," Dean says once they have everyone's attention. "For those of you who don't know, I'm Dean Ambrose." He flashes a bright smile. "Onto why we're really here. Roman and Bayley… what can I even say about these two? Roman, my friend, my brother. We've been through a lot over the last five years. Hard to believe how far we've come. In the five years, I've seen many sides of you. There's the side of Roman Reigns that everyone knows; the family man, the man who works harder than anyone else to provide for his family. There's the Roman Reigns that the wrestling fans know; the powerhouse, the big guy. And then there's the Roman Reigns that not many people see. The one no one really wants to see. We won't even go into that one though. But then Bayley came into your life and there was another side of Roman Reigns that I didn't know existed. Nothing could stop you from being with the one person who meant and means the world to you. I don't want to go on and on with some boring speech. I just want you to know that being able to stand next to you on your big day is the best thing that I've ever done. Bayley, you gotta good man here. He will love you more and more every day. Roman, you gotta good woman here. You hurt her and I will have to hurt you. Congratulations and I love you both."

Roman stands up and hugs Dean. "Thank you," he says. "I love you, man."

Dean smiles at him before turning and hugging Bayley when she stands. "You both deserve it." He steps back and let's Emma have her time.

"I may not have known Bayley my entire life or anything, but I feel like we have an amazing friendship in the short time we have had together. I've been lucky enough to share an apartment with Bayley for the last few years while in Orlando. And even though things have changed with that over the last year, I know that I will always have you by my side. Just like you know that I will always be by your side. I love seeing you simply light up just at the mention of Roman's name. You have really found your forever. I am so happy for the both of you. Congratulations." She laughs a little when Bayley hugs her.

"Thank you," Bayley says.

"No, thank you."

Roman leads Bayley out to the small dance area a short time later after the announcement of their first dance. He smiles down at her as he slides one arm around her waist while keeping hold of her hand in his against his chest. _Fly Me to the Moon_ starts playing. Bayley rests her hand on Roman's shoulder, smiling up at him.

"We did it," Roman says, resting his forehead on hers. "You're my Mrs. Reigns."

She beams at that. When he lets her hand go, she wraps both arms around his neck as he slides both around her waist. This has been absolutely perfect. She couldn't ask for anything better than this, better than Roman. She's no longer waiting for superman.

**The End**


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